Water reclamation system and method

ABSTRACT

A system reclaiming contaminated water includes a heat exchanger that receives the contaminated water and converts at least a portion of the contaminated water into steam and collects at least a portion of the contaminants within the heat exchanger. A thermal transfer fluid is heated by a solar concentrator during daytime and by a biofuel combustion device during nighttime. The heated fluid is circulated through the heat exchanger to heat the contaminated water. A steam engine is coupled to a generator, the steam engine receives the steam from the heat exchanger to drive the generator to provide power for the system. Steam exhausted from the steam engine is supplied to supplemental heat loads. The collected contaminants are directed to an evaporation device to remove residual liquid.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to international patentapplication number PCT/US2009/040516, having a filing date of Apr. 14,2009, titled “Water Reclamation System and Method” which claims thebenefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/124,247, having a filing date of Apr. 15, 2008,titled “Water Reclamation System and Method,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/192,061, having a filing date of Sep. 12, 2008,titled “Water Reclamation System and Method,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/209,765 having a filing date of Mar. 11, 2009, titled“Water Reclamation System and Method,” the complete disclosures of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The field of the disclosure relates generally to reclamation of waterused in agricultural or manufacturing processes prior to returning thewater to the environment. More specifically, the disclosure relates to asystem and method of reclaiming water through the use of a renewable orother environmentally-friendly energy source. More particularly, thedisclosure relates to a system and method of reclaiming water thatdisposes of biomass waste and provides thermal and/or electrical energyas a by-product.

BACKGROUND

This section is intended to provide a background or context to theinvention recited in the claims. The description herein may includeconcepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that havebeen previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwiseindicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art tothe description and claims in this application and is not admitted to beprior art by inclusion in this section.

Facilities which require water for processing agricultural or otherproducts are well known. Sites for production of agricultural and/orlivestock products (generally referred to generically herein as “farms”)are also known. Upon completion of the processing operation, or as aresult of farming activities, the water is often contaminated withdissolved solids, particles or other contaminants that often render thewater unfit for returning to the environment in a manner that meetscertain water cleanliness regulatory requirements. For example,regulations often limit the content of total dissolved solids (TDS) inthe water released from a processing facility or farm to theenvironment. Dissolved solids are often difficult to remove from waterbecause they are usually small enough to survive filtration. Dischargingwater having excess TDS levels may cause certain undesirableenvironmental effects and result in regulatory fines being imposed onthe facility, or require expensive and/or energy-intensive systems fortreating or reclaiming the water prior to its release to theenvironment.

What is needed is a system and method for reclaiming water used in afacility (e.g., food processing, agricultural, wine-making, dairy,oil-drilling, etc.) or farming operation to reduce undesirablecontaminants (such as TDS) to cleanliness levels that meet or exceedapplicable regulatory requirements. What is further needed is a systemand method for reclaiming water using renewable or otherenvironmentally-friendly energy sources. What is further needed is asystem and method for reclaiming water that advantageously disposes ofbiomass waste and also provides thermal energy as a byproduct for use inother applications.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method forreclaiming water from a processing facility, operation or farm throughthe use of environmentally-friendly energy sources and that disposes ofbiomass waste and provides thermal energy as a byproduct for use in awide variety of other beneficial applications.

SUMMARY

In an exemplary embodiment, a water reclamation system and method areshown to include six primary or functional regions (e.g., subsystem,etc.): a ‘water capture and delivery region,’ and a ‘contaminantcollection and removal region,’ and a ‘heat generation region,’ and a‘steam energy conversion and power generation region,’ and a ‘free heatrecovery region,’ and a ‘reclaimed water retention and release region.’

The ‘water capture and delivery region’ includes a reservoir or otherretention device for receiving the contaminated water from a facility,operation or farm. The ‘contaminant collection and removal region’includes a filtration station to filter the contaminated water and avertical shell and tube boiler that receives heat energy from the ‘heatgeneration region’ to evaporate the contaminated water so that thecontaminants are collected in the bottom of the boiler and on the sidesof the tubes. The ‘heat generation region’ heats a thermal transferfluid during the day using parabolic solar concentrator panels and arectangular collector tube, and heats the thermal transfer fluid duringthe nighttime by combusting a biofuel (in the form of a biomass wastesupply). The steam from the boiler is directed through a moisture-vaporseparator and to a steam energy conversion device, such as a piston-typesteam engine or Tesla turbine to drive an electric generator to produceelectricity for the system and surplus is provided back to the facilityor farm. Exhaust steam from the steam engine or turbine is directedthrough another moisture-vapor separator and then to the ‘free heatrecovery region’ where it provides heat to one or more supplemental heatloads, such as laundry equipment, farm equipment, ethanol distillationequipment, process facility equipment, and/or may be used to pre-heatthe thermal transfer fluid being returned to the heat generation region.The steam exiting the supplemental heat loads is directed to the‘reclaimed water retention and release region’ where the steam iscondensed, tested, filtered and released as reclaimed water in eithervapor or liquid form to the environment or back to the facility or farmfor reuse. The system also includes a control system that monitorssignals representative of the various parameters associated with thesystem and provides appropriate output signals to operate the variouscomponents of the system.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a system and method isprovided which subsidizes the costly distillation of contaminated waterthrough the aggregation of multiple renewable energy applicationsenabled by the resulting pressure and heat. By vaporizing water underpressure to drive steam engines of the present invention integrated withgenerators, heat exchangers of the present invention are able to reducethe solids and contaminants by up to approximately 97% in certainapplications. Approximately 50% of the heat energy utilized for thevaporization process is reclaimed in certain applications, and itsproductive use is optimized. In certain applications, the design isintended to enable the construction of a consolidated renewable energyand water cleaning facility which, while cleaning approximately 5million gallons per day (GPD) of water, is intended to be capable ofgenerating approximately 30 MW per hour of electricity and yieldsufficient heat energy to process approximately 50 million gallons peryear (GPY) of ethanol and/or other biofuel. Electricity and fuelproduction create attendant revenue streams, each of which bears aproportionate share of the energy cost of vaporization, thusfractionalizing the energy cost of distillation. The system and methodare intended for processing a wide variety of water sources, such as(but not limited to) raw seawater, reverse osmosis brine, agriculturaltile water, drainage water, food processing plant waste water, dairywastewater and chemically contaminated water.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the components of the waterreclamation system and method may include a reservoir or other retentiondevice for receiving the contaminated water from a facility or farm. Afiltration station filters the contaminated water and a vertical shelland tube boiler receives heat energy from heat generation devices (e.g.,a bio-reactor boiler or solar array) to vaporize the contaminated waterso that the contaminants are collected in the bottom of the boiler andon the sides of the tubes. A thermal transfer fluid is heated during theday using a solar array having parabolic solar concentrator panels and arectangular collector tube. During nighttime, the thermal transfer fluidis heated by combusting a biomass material (in the form of a biomasswaste supply). The steam from the boiler is directed through amoisture-vapor separator and to a steam engine, such as a piston-typesteam engine or Tesla turbine to drive an AC electric generator toproduce electricity for the system and surplus is provided back to thefacility. Exhaust steam from the steam engine or turbine is directedthrough another moisture-vapor separator and then to other (e.g.,supplemental, etc.) heat loads, such as ethanol distillation equipment,drying pans of a zero liquid discharge system, or other process facilityequipment. The steam exiting the heat loads is directed to the‘reclaimed water retention and release region’ where the steam iscondensed, tested, filtered and released as reclaimed water in eithervapor or liquid form to the environment or to another suitable locationfor reuse. The system also includes a control system that monitorssignals representative of the various parameters associated with thesystem and provides appropriate output signals to operate the variouscomponents of the system.

In another exemplary embodiment, a water reclamation system forreclaiming contaminated water includes a shell and tube boiler thatboils the contaminated water so that steam exits the boiler andcontaminants are collected in the boiler. Parabolic solar concentratorpanels and a biomass combustion device operate to heat a thermaltransfer fluid that is circulated through the boiler to provide heatenergy to boil the contaminated water. A steam energy conversion devicereceives the steam from the boiler and drives an electric generator. Oneor more heat loads receive the steam exhausted from the steam energyconversion device. A condenser receives and condenses the steamexhausted from the heat loads. A control system operates the solarpanels when an amount of sunlight is adequate to heat the thermaltransfer fluid sufficiently to boil the contaminated water in theboiler, and operates the biomass combustion device when the amount ofsunlight is not adequate to heat the thermal transfer fluid sufficientlyto boil the contaminated water in the boiler. A filter station may beprovided to filter the contaminated water prior to boiling the water inthe boiler. A natural gas fired heating device may be provided as abackup to the solar panels and biomass combustion device. The solarpanels may include a rectangular tube for heating the thermal transferfluid. The steam energy conversion device may include a piston-typesteam engine or a Tesla turbine. The heat loads may include laundryequipment, farm equipment, ethanol distillation equipment, or processfacility equipment. An algae tank may be provided to receive exhaustgases from the biomass combustion device to promote growth of the algaeand to reduce the volume of carbon dioxide emission in the exhaustgases. One or more moisture-vapor separators may be provided to removecontaminants from the steam.

In a further exemplary embodiment, a method of reclaiming contaminatedwater includes providing a shell and tube boiler, directing thecontaminated water to the boiler and boiling the contaminated water sothat steam exits the boiler and contaminants are collected in theboiler, and removing the collected contaminants from the boiler. Themethod also includes circulating a thermal transfer fluid to the boilerto boil the contaminated water, and heating the thermal transfer fluidusing solar panels when an amount of sunlight is adequate to heat thethermal transfer fluid sufficiently to boil the contaminated water inthe boiler, and heating the thermal transfer fluid using a biomasscombustion device when the amount of sunlight is not adequate to heatthe thermal transfer fluid sufficiently to boil the contaminated waterin the boiler. The method may also include directing the steam from theboiler to a steam energy conversion device and driving an electricgenerator, and directing the steam exhausted from the steam energyconversion device to one or more heat loads to provide heating. Themethod may also include condensing the steam exhausted from the heatloads and collecting the condensate in an evaporation pond. The methodmay also include providing a control system operable to receive signalsrepresentative of temperature and pressure and flow rate of the steamand thermal transfer fluid and to control operation of the boiler andthe steam energy conversion device. The method may also includeproviding a filter station to filter the contaminated water prior toboiling the water in the boiler. The method may also include providing anatural gas fired heating device as a backup to the solar panels andbiomass combustion device. The solar panels may include a rectangulartube for heating the thermal transfer fluid. The steam energy conversiondevice may include a piston-type steam engine or a Tesla-type turbine.The heat loads may include laundry equipment, farm equipment, ethanoldistillation equipment, or process facility equipment. The method mayalso include bubbling exhaust gases from the biomass combustion devicethrough an algae tank to promote growth of the algae and to reduce thevolume of carbon dioxide emission in the exhaust gases. The method mayalso include providing one or more moisture-vapor separators to removecontaminants from the steam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a water reclamation system for usewith a process facility or farm, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a method for a water reclamationsystem for use with a process facility or farm, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic image of a contaminant collection device inthe form of a vertical tube and shell heat exchanger, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4A depicts a schematic image of a steam energy conversion device inthe form of a piston-type steam engine, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 4B depicts a schematic image of a detailed elevation view of thesteam energy conversion device in the form of a piston-type steamengine, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 4C-4F depict schematic images of the detailed portions of a slidevalve for use with a piston-type steam engine, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a schematic image of a steam energy conversion device inthe form of a Tesla turbine, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a schematic image of a solar heat generator, according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7A depicts a schematic image of a contaminant collection devicehaving multiple stages, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7B depicts a schematic image of a system for separating chemicalcompounds from concentrated contaminated water, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic image of an elevation view of a biofuelcombustion device, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a schematic image of a detailed elevation view of acombustion chamber portion of the biofuel combustion device of FIG. 8,according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts a schematic image of a combustion chamber portion of thebiofuel combustion device of FIG. 8, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIGS. 11A-11H depict a schematic image of a contaminant collectiondevice, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of a process flow diagram ofanother water reclamation system and method, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of an equipment layout arrangementfor the components of the water reclamation system and method, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of a solar array of reflectiveparabolic solar collector panels for use by the water reclamation systemand method of FIGS. 12-13, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of a flow diagram of another waterreclamation system and method directed to wine making facilities (e.g.,wineries), according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of a flow diagram of another waterreclamation system and method directed to oil-drilling operations,according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of a flow diagram of another waterreclamation system and method directed to farming operations, such asdairy farms, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a water reclamation system 10 is shownaccording to one exemplary embodiment to include the following primaryregions or subsystems: a water capture and delivery region 100; a heatgeneration region 200; a contaminant collection and removal region 300;a steam energy conversion and power generation region 400; a free heatrecovery region 500; a reclaimed water retention and release region 600;and a control system 700 interfacing with each of the regions tocoordinate and control operation of the equipment within the regions ofthe system.

The water capture and delivery region 100 is shown to include aprocessing facility, operation or farm (shown collectively as 110) thatuses water in the processing of a product (such as a food oragricultural or livestock product). According to one embodiment, theproduct is an agricultural product such as, for example, olives and thewater is used in the processing of the olives (or other agriculturalproduct) for consumption by humans. According to another embodiment, thefacility may be a winery that uses water for processing and dischargesorganics and wastewater. According to yet another embodiment, the farmmay be a dairy farm that discharges waste water having a relatively highconcentration of organic materials. According to still anotherembodiment, the facility may be an oil-drilling facility (e.g., field,rig, etc.) producing waste water having a relatively high concentrationof salts and hydrocarbons. Accordingly, all such embodiments areintended to be within the scope of this disclosure.

The contaminated water is discharged from the facility 110 and capturedfor reclamation in a contaminated water holding reservoir 120 (or othersuitable large scale storage or retention device, such as a tank, silo,pond, etc.). According to one embodiment, the reservoir 120 is formed ona relatively level (or concave) section of ground outside and adjacentto the facility 110, and includes a berm approximately five (5) feethigh and defining a perimeter that encloses an area of approximately10,000 square feet (although other berm heights and reservoir sizes maybe used to suit the process requirements of a particular facility). Adurable, rugged and waterproof membrane (e.g., layer, sheet, etc.) ofmaterial is provided on the enclosed ground and over the berm to formthe reservoir. According to one embodiment, the waterproof membrane ismade of polyurethane with a thickness of approximately 60 mils and iscommercially available from B&B Supply of Fresno, Calif. The membrane ispreferably black in color to enhance solar heating of the contaminatedwater in the reservoir to promote evaporation of the contaminated water.After being discharged from the facility 110, the contaminated water isretained within the reservoir 120 until processed by the waterreclamation system. The contaminated water is delivered (e.g., routed,directed, transported, etc.) from the reservoir 120 to the contaminantcollection and removal region 300 using suitable piping (e.g., tubing,conduits, etc.). According to the illustrated embodiment, one or morepumps 130 may be used for moving the water, and an intermediate storagetank 140 is provided for allowing particulate contaminants in the waterto settle. According to one exemplary embodiment, the results of achemical analysis of a sample of contaminated water from the facility110 for processing by the system resulted in an average TDS ofapproximately 10,538.8 mg/L.

Referring further to FIG. 1, upon delivery under pump pressure from thereservoir 120 and/or storage tank 140, the contaminated water enters thecontaminant collection and removal region 300. According to theillustrated embodiment, the contaminated water is first directed througha filtration station 302 having one or more sets of filters to removeany particulate contaminants from the contaminated water. According toone embodiment, the filters are a self-flushing type commerciallyavailable from US Filter or Seimens Water Technologies and having asieve size of approximately twenty (20) microns (although any suitablefilter size may be used according to other embodiments or applicationswhere the contaminated water has other types of contaminants). Accordingto an alternative embodiment, the filtration station may include reserveosmosis or other suitable filtration equipment.

Upon discharge from the filter station 302, the filtered process waterenters a contaminant collection device 304. According to one embodiment,the contaminant collection device 304 comprises a verticalshell-and-tube heat exchanger (e.g., boiler, steam generator, etc.—shownmore particularly in FIGS. 3 and 11) and the contaminated water isdirected in through the bottom of the tube-side of the heat exchanger304 where it is heated and converted (e.g., boiled, evaporated, etc.) tosteam and discharged from the tube side at the top of the heat exchanger304. The heat for converting the contaminated water to steam is providedby a thermal transfer fluid that is heated in the heat generation regionof the system and directed through the shell side of the heat exchanger304. The conversion of the contaminated water to steam results in theconcentration or distillation of the contaminants (e.g., TDS, etc.) fromthe contaminated water so that the contaminants are collected within theheat exchanger 304 (e.g., within the bottom and/or top end bells andalong the surfaces of the tubes of the heat exchanger).

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 11A-11G, the contaminant collectiondevice in the form of heat exchanger 304 is shown in more detail. Thecollection device 304 is shown to include a vertical shell and tube heatexchanger designed to meet the requirements of the ASME Boiler andPressure Vessel Code. The heat exchanger 304 includes a sidewall withtwo parallel elongated wall sections 306 and joined at opposite ends bytwo rounded (shown as semicircular) wall sections 308 to provide arounded rectangular cross section. The top and bottom end heads 310, 312(e.g., bells, etc.) are joined to the top and bottom of the side wallssections 306, 308 (respectively) to form a pressure vessel. An end wall314 having an array of apertures (e.g., tube sheet, etc.) is disposed onthe top and bottom of the side walls 306, 308 and an array of tubes 316are arranged in a pattern within the vessel corresponding to theapertures and fixed to the tube sheets 314 to provide the tube-side ofthe heat exchanger 304 so that the contaminated water flows into one endbell 312, through the apertures and tubes 316 and into an opposite endbell 310. The side walls sections 306, 308 of the shell of the heatexchanger 304 includes thermal transfer fluid inlet nozzles 318 (shownfor example as six nozzles) spaced about a lower perimeter of the sidewall sections 306, 308. The rectangular shape of the contaminantcollection device and the spacing, location, and separation distance ofthe thermal transfer inlet nozzles 318 are designed so that each tube iswithin a predefined maximum distance from each thermal transfer fluidinlet 318 (e.g., twelve inches according to one embodiment). The shapeof the heat exchanger 304 and number/location of the thermal transferfluid inlet nozzles 318 are intended to permit the device to be builtlarger and still have a relatively uniform distribution of thermaltransfer fluid to all of the tubes in the heat exchanger. Thermaltransfer fluid outlet nozzles 320 are shown as spaces about an upperperimeter of the side wall sections 306, 308. The length of the tubes316 are sufficiently long to accommodate foaming and frothing of thecontaminated water within the heat exchanger 304 so that carryover offoam and froth with the steam discharge from the heat exchanger iseliminated or minimized. According to one embodiment, the length of thetubes 316 is approximately 89 inches, but may be other lengths asappropriate for use with certain contaminants and other processparameters (e.g., required flow rates, etc.).

The heat exchanger 304 includes four legs 330 that are removably coupledto the heat exchanger 304 and designed to comply with modernseismic/earthquake standards. A plurality of connector flanges 324(shown for example as three connector flanges) are provided asinstrument nozzles to accommodate instrumentation intended to accuratelymonitor pressure, temperature and corrosion sensors within the heatexchanger 304. An inlet and outlet nozzle 334, 336 are provided on thelower and upper end bells 312, 310 respectively for supply of thecontaminated water and discharge of steam.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchanger 304 may beprovided with the following specific features by way of example, howevervariations in sizes, quantities and capacities to accommodate otherapplications are intended to be within the scope of the invention: thecomponents are formed from steel, such as 304 stainless steel, or carbonsteel; shell side design pressure is approximately 100 psig and designtemperature is approximately 560° F.; the number of tubes isapproximately 97 tubes each having an outside diameter of approximately3.5 inches; the energy rating of the heat exchanger is approximately 150hp, but may be scaled up to approximately 500 hp.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchanger 304 isintended to operate in a manner that actively promotes “fouling” of theheat exchanger surfaces (unlike most conventional heat exchangers thatare operated in a manner intended to avoid fouling), as a method forseparating the contaminants from the contaminated water. Thecontaminants may be removed from the heat exchanger in a generallynon-invasive manner by periodically discharging water with the highlyconcentrated contaminants from a bottom drain of the heat exchanger(e.g., blow-down, blow-by, etc.) and directing the water to acontainment location (e.g., evaporation pond or heat exchanger, storagetank etc.). The contaminants may also be removed in a more invasivemanner where the heat exchanger is opened and cleaned at periodicintervals to remove the collected mass of contaminants that were removedfrom the contaminated water. The contaminants may be removed in anysuitable manner, such as manual removal. For example, the top and/orbottom ends 310, 312 of the heat exchanger 304 may be removed to permitaccess to the tube 316 ends by a suitable device for removing thecontaminants (e.g., with tools such as an auger, or push-rod, agitator,or the like). According to one embodiment, an auger may be used havingseveral heads to clean multiple tubes simultaneously. According toanother embodiment, the contaminants may be removed in an automatic orsemi-automatic manner (e.g., ultrasonically, compressed air, etc.). Forexample, the heat exchanger 304 may be filled with water and anultrasonic probe(s) is lowered into the tubes. When the probe isactivated, the high frequency sound waves create sufficient vibration todislodge the contaminants from the tubes for collection beneath thetubes. The Applicants believe these methods of collecting thecontaminants from the interior of the heat exchanger are particularlywell-suited for applications where the contaminants include highconcentrations of salts and/or sulfates, and the contaminants form adense layer that carries the sound vibrations well. The contaminantsremoved from the interior of the tubes 316 may be collected in thebottom end bell 312 and flushed out, or collected in another suitablerepository (e.g., cart, drum, bin, dumpster, shipping container, etc.)and then dried (if necessary—e.g., by evaporation, sunlight, etc.) andthen disposed in a suitable manner (e.g., sale to others as a reusablechemical byproduct, landfill storage, etc.). According to otherembodiments, where the contaminants include oil and organics, the oiland organics tend to create frothing of the contaminated water withinthe tubes. The frothing tends to promote rising of the solids to the topof the tubes, where the solids are carried out of the heat exchanger 304by the velocity of the steam. As the solids and other contaminants exitthe heat exchanger 304, they are separated from the ‘clean’ steam (byseparators as further described herein) and may be diverted to a dryingdevice (e.g., pan, pond, reservoir, etc.) where the remaining water isevaporated. The amount of ‘blow-by’ water diverted in this manner maytypically be within a range of approximately 5-20% of the total waterprocessed by the boiler. According to alternative embodiments, an agentmay be used in the contaminated water to promote frothing as a lessinvasive method of removing the contaminants from the boiler. In thismanner, the heat exchanger 304 is operated as a distillation-type devicethat collects the contaminants within, and discharges steam from theheat exchanger 304 for use in the steam and energy conversion and powergeneration region 400 and the free heat recovery region 500.

Although only one heat exchanger 304 is shown in FIG. 1 for clarity, twoor more heat exchangers may be provided (e.g., arranged and connected inparallel) to obtain a desired capacity for reclaiming the contaminatedwater from the facility or farm. According to such an embodiment, one ormore “extra” heat exchangers may be provided in order to accommodatemaintenance and removal of collected contaminants, so that a desirednumber of heat exchangers remain in operation while others are cleanedand/or maintained. According to one embodiment, the heat exchanger 304operates with a contaminated water flow rate of approximately 120gallons per hour (GPH), and a shell-side heat transfer fluid inlettemperature of approximately 460 degrees Fahrenheit (° F.) and flow rateof approximately 81 GPH. However, other flow rates (e.g., 50-500 GPH)and temperatures (e.g., 250-750° F.) may be used to achieve the desiredsteam generation and contaminant removal within the heat exchanger.According to alternative embodiments, the contaminant collection devicemay be a horizontal shell and tube heat exchanger, tank, still, or anyother type of apparatus for converting contaminated water to steam andcollecting the contaminants within the apparatus and discharging thesteam for use in other applications.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7B, the heat exchanger 304 may be provided inmultiple stages (e.g., in a cascade arrangement, etc.), according to anexemplary embodiment. The multi-stage contaminant collection device maybe suited to applications having particularly high levels ofcontaminants, or for applications where zero liquid discharge isdesired. For example, according to the illustrated embodiment, a firstcontaminant collection device (shown as a main boiler 340) operates atrelatively high pressure as a contaminant collection device in a manneras previously described. Highly contaminated liquid water having aconcentrated collection of contaminants (e.g., “concentrate”) isdirected from the main boiler 340 to a steam separator 342 and then to asecondary (e.g., supplemental, cascade, etc.) boiler 344 operating at areduced pressure. The secondary boiler 344 re-processes (e.g., boils,evaporates, etc.) the concentrate and discharges steam to a steam outletline 346, and liquid water having a further concentrated collection ofcontaminants may be directed to a third boiler (not shown) for continuedprocessing, or to an evaporator 348 (such as a plate evaporator or thelike), or to an evaporation pond to further collect and separate thecontaminants from the water. Accordingly, all such variations of thecontaminant collection device are included within this disclosure.

Referring further to FIG. 7B, certain chemical compounds may beseparated from highly contaminated water discharged from the contaminantcollection device or boilers 340, 344, according to an exemplaryembodiment. According to the illustrated embodiment, the concentrate maybe used to separate (e.g., by precipitation, crystallization, etc.)certain other commercially desirable chemical compounds from the water,such as calcium sulfate, sodium sulfate, etc. For example, theseparation of sodium sulfate may be conducted using any suitableprocedure, such as concentration and temperature reduction. TheApplicants believe that concentrating the contaminants in the water(using the contaminant collection device) to a TDS level ofapproximately 120,000 mg/L and then capturing the concentrate in acontainer (e.g., “solid separation tank”) where the temperature of thewater can be reduced sufficiently (e.g., to approximately 38° F.) toproduce precipitation and/or crystallization of the compounds from thewater. The water may then be drained from the container and re-processedby the system, and the precipitated crystals may be collected and dried.By further way of example, concentration and temperature change may beused to cause the separation of calcium sulfate. According to oneembodiment, the contaminant collection devices are used as brine boilersto increase the concentration of the brine to approximately 160,000parts per million (PPM) (e.g., approximately 16% solids) and then thehighly concentrated water is directed through a cooling tower 350 orevaporation tower (such as a cooling tower of the type that arecommercially available from the Amcot Cooling Tower Corporation ofOntario, Calif.) or the like to cause calcium sulfate to crystallize andcollect on the bottom of the tower 350. According to alternativeembodiments, the separation of the chemical compounds from the water maybe conducted using other suitable processes, such as ion exchange, orraising the ph of the reclaimed water using an alkaline material such aslime, or the like. All such variations are intended to be within thescope of this disclosure.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the heat generation region 200 of thesystem 10 for providing a heat source to the contaminant collectiondevice 304 is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. The heatgeneration region 200 is shown to include multiple heat generators,which may operate independently or in cooperation with one another, andwhich may operate sequentially or simultaneously. The heat generatorsare shown to include a solar heat generator 210, a biofuel heatgenerator 230, and a natural gas heat generator 290. Each of the heatgenerators is configured to add heat to a thermal transfer fluid that iscirculated through a piping loop 202 to the contaminant collectiondevice for providing heat to convert the contaminated water to steam.According to the illustrated embodiment, the piping loop 202communicates with each heat generator in a parallel configuration andincludes suitable valves to permit isolation of each heat generator fromthe loop, so that any one or more of the heat generators may operate toadd heat to the thermal transfer fluid circulating in the piping loop202 to, and through, the contaminant collection device 304. According toone embodiment, the heat transfer fluid is known as XCELTHERM® 600commercially available from Radco Industries of LaFox, Ill.

According to one embodiment, the control system 700 operates the heatgenerators and associated valves as necessary to maintain a relativelyconstant temperature and flow of the heat transfer fluid to thecontaminant collection device 304. For example, the control system 700is normally configured to operate the solar heat generator 210 as theprimary heat generator during the day time (i.e. when sufficientsunlight is available), and to operate the biofuel heat generator 230 atnighttime (or when sufficient sunlight is not available). The naturalgas heat exchanger 290 is typically in a “standby” mode for use as aback-up when either the solar heat generator 210 and/or the biofuel heatgenerator 230 are unavailable (e.g., during maintenance, etc.).According to any preferred embodiment, the solar heat generator 210 andbiofuel heat generator 230 are the primary heat generators to provide arenewable and environmentally friendly heat source for removing thecontaminants from the contaminated water.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, the solar heat generator 210 is shownaccording to one embodiment. Solar heat generator 210 in FIG. 6 includesa plurality of reflective parabolic solar panels 212 (e.g., troughs,etc. arranged in the form of a solar array, etc.) that concentratesunlight on a collector tube 214 positioned generally at a focal pointof the reflector 212. According to one embodiment the collector tube 214acts as a conduit for transporting the thermal transfer fluid throughthe solar concentrator 212 and the tube 214 has a substantiallyrectangular shape with dimensions of approximately one (1) inch wide bythree (3) inches high, which the Applicants believe providesadvantageous heat transfer characteristics over conventional collectortubes 214 having a circular cross-sectional shape. According to otherembodiments, the substantially rectangular collector tubes 214 may havedimensions of approximately one (1) inch wide by four (4) inches or five(5) inches high, although other dimensions may be used to obtain optimumheat transfer characteristics for a particular solar panel geometry. Forexample, the Applicants believe that the additional height provided bythe reflective sidewalls of the tubes provides a larger target for thereflected light, and promotes turbulent flow of the thermal transferfluid within the tube to reduce the fluid boundary layer effects andenhance the heat transfer characteristics (relative to conventionalcircular tubes). The heat transfer fluid is circulated in a “loop”through the collector tube where it is heated by the reflected sunlightincident on the surfaces of the rectangular collector tube 214, and thento an insulated reservoir 218 (e.g., tank, etc.) to provide a source ofheated thermal transfer fluid for use in removing contaminants from thecontaminated water in the contaminant collection device. According toone embodiment, the surface area of the reflective panels 212 isapproximately 200,000 square feet, corresponding to a power generationcapability of approximately 2 MW, and the heat transfer fluid iscirculated at a flow rate of approximately 25-100 GPH, and moreparticularly 35-75 GPH, and yet more particularly 45-65 GPH, and isheated to a temperature of approximately 600° F.

It should be understood that the present invention may work with avariety of solar arrays available from commercial sources. It isdesirable, however, that the solar array be a parabolic concentratortrough that is able to concentrate sunlight approximately eighty-twotimes onto the collector tube that runs through the focal center of thetrough. In such solar arrays, the collector tube may be painted black(or otherwise provided with a black surface) with a high temperatureblack paint such as that known as solcoat. The parabolic mirror troughshould be supported by a framework; here a framework of angular steelmay be employed, as is known in the art. Such solar arrays areavailable, for example, from Solar Genics of Golden, Colo., Soele ofJerusalem, Israel or Five Star Engineering of Boulder, Colo. Theseparabolic troughs typically have an efficiency of around 80 percent(sun/heat) depending upon the time of year. The amount of square footageof the solar array according to the present invention, of course, willdepend upon the size of the site to be designed. Such arrays may beanywhere from a few thousand square feet to several million square feet,again depending upon the amount of thermal transfer fluid to be heated.The panels may be made of any suitable material such as aluminum and thecollector tube may be made of a suitable material, such as copper,aluminum, steel, etc.

The solar heat generator 210 also includes a tracking device 220operable to tilt or “rock” the panels in a back-and-forth manner topermit the panels to track the east-to-west motion of the sun throughoutthe course of the day. According to one embodiment, the tracking deviceincludes heat gain transducers (e.g., having thermistors, etc.) in aclosed loop control arrangement to provide an active sensing system thatsenses the movement of the sun and in turn adjusts the tilt of thepanels by driving a motor and linkage connected to the panels. Such atracking device is commercially available from Beartrap Enterprises ofCoalinga, Calif.

According to another embodiment, the reservoir 218 for storing thethermal transfer fluid may be insulated, or otherwise provided as anenergy storage device for storing the thermal energy of the heatedthermal transfer fluid. For example, the reservoir 218 may be providedas a thermal energy storage system. One type of thermal energy storagesystem may be provided as a buffer storage, for example to be accessedduring transitory time periods (of e.g., about 30 minutes to about 3hours) during which the heating generation region of the system may notbe able to match the requirements for a given load demand (such as whensolar radiation is attenuated by transitory cloud cover or when atransitory load demand exceeds the steady state capacity of the systemor a temporary interruption of the biomass supply, etc.). In contrast,the thermal energy storage system may be provided for longer-timestorage, for example 3 hours to 24 hours, etc.

The thermal energy storage system may include a thermal energy storagemedium and a plurality of conduits buried within the storage medium in aheat exchange relationship with the storage medium to form a compositestructure, and the composite structure is surrounded by a layer of aninsulating material. Each conduit is arranged to carry the thermaltransfer fluid through the thermal energy storage medium and may alsohave thermally conductive heat transfer elements (e.g., fins, plates,disks, sheets, etc,) to enhance heat transfer between the storage mediumand the conduits. Each of the heat transfer elements functionsalternatingly as a heat distributor and retriever and it extends intothe energy storage medium for the purpose of transferring thermal energyreversibly between the thermal transfer fluid in the associated conduitand the discrete (thermally conductive) components of the medium.

The thermal energy storage system may be located at least in part abovethe local ground level, or located below ground level and integrated inthe localized ground so that the ground itself forms an extension of thethermal energy storage system (e.g., located beneath or around the solarcollector 212 array or other suitable location).

Particulate insulating material (e.g., relatively non-conductivematerial) or a mat-type insulating material (not shown) may be locatedabout and/or over the top of the thermal energy storage system. Suchinsulating material optionally comprises sand and/or rock dust and theupper region of the storage system may optionally comprise a highergrade insulating material and may be positioned upon an upper region ofthe storage system, at or a small distance below ground level.

The thermal energy storage medium may include any of a wide variety ofmaterials such as, but not limited to, rock, gravel, sand, silt, clay,quartzite, basalt, soil, as well as specific types, chemicalcompositions, or isolated fractions thereof. Thus, a “material” may be,for example, rock, quartzite rock, or clay {e.g., clay may be anisolated fraction of some soils). In general, the thermal energy storagemedium may comprise any medium useful for thermal energy storage,including granular thermal energy storage mediums. Additional examplesof thermal energy storage mediums include concrete, sand, and an earthenstructure composed substantially of conductive inorganic mineralmaterial. Granular thermal energy storage mediums may comprise one ormore granular components, and lack a binding material such as cement orhydrated lime. Granular storage mediums permit relative movement of thevarious components of the thermal energy storage system, includinglongitudinal movement of the conduits, as caused by thermal expansionwithin the medium. A granular storage medium typically maintains itsgranular integrity through complete thermal cycles, and additionallymaintains its granular integrity if exposed to water.

Various materials, for example, inorganic minerals and earthen materials(e.g., topsoil and/or subsoil and/or individual materials of topsoiland/or subsoil and/or rock and/or gravel) may be useful in the thermalstorage medium. Non-limiting examples of materials which may be usefulinclude, for example, aggregate (e.g., rock, quartzite, granite, basalt,silicates, limestone, shale, hematite, alumina, periclase (MgO), etc.),gravel (e.g., quartzite, granite, basalt, silicates, limestone, shale,hematite, alumina, periclase (MgO), etc.), concrete pieces), sand, soil(e.g., topsoil and/or subsoil), clay, silt, soil organic material,metals, metal oxides (e.g., hematite, ironsand, alumina, periclase(MgO)), glass (e.g., recycled glass), silicates, metal carbonates,graphite, metal nitrates, metal nitrites, metal nitrides (e.g., aluminumnitride), molten salts, soluble minerals (e.g., soluble carbonates andnitrates), and liquids (e.g., silicone, mineral oil, glycerol, sugaralcohols, retene, tetracosane).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8-10, the biofuel heat generator 230 is shownaccording to one embodiment. The biofuel heat generator 230 (e.g.,biofuel combustion device, etc.) is shown to include an enclosure 232having a lower section 234 that operates as a combustor or combustionchamber (e.g., firebox, etc.) and an upper portion 236 with a bank oftubes 238 (e.g., heat exchanger coil, etc.) through which the heattransfer fluid is circulated and heated by the rising heat of combustionfrom the combustion chamber 234. A biofuel storage device 240 and feedconveyor 242 are provided to deliver a generally steady supply ofbiofuel to the combustion chamber 234 via top feed biofuel chutes asnecessary to maintain a desired temperature of the heat transfer fluidexiting the tube bank 238. According to one embodiment, the biofuelstorage device 240 is a hopper or palletized container and the conveyor242 is a screw-feed type conveyor for receiving the biofuel from thehopper and delivering the biofuel through the biofuel chutes to thecombustion chamber 234. The screw-feed conveyor is driven by a motor andgearbox arrangement that is controlled by the control system to deliverbiofuel at a rate (e.g., approximately two (2)-six (6) tons/hour) thatmaintains the desired temperature of the heat transfer fluid exiting thetube bank 238. The biofuel combustion device 230 may be made of anysuitable materials, such as steel, aluminum and the like, and insulatedwith a suitable insulation material, such as ceramic fiber fireboardhaving a temperature rating of approximately 3000° F.

According to one embodiment shown more particularly in FIG. 8, thebiofuel combustion device 230 includes an external air intake having anair intake fan 244 (e.g., variable speed, etc.), a combustion chamber234, a bed 246, directional jets 248, cup deflectors 250, a burner 252,a combustion flue nozzle 254, a heat exchanger 238, an exhaust flue 256,flue gas take-off and recirculation return ducts 258, a particulatefilter 260 (e.g., scrubber, etc.) and top feed biofuel shoots 262. Thescrubber 260 operates to compress the flue gas and then direct the gasfor use in producing algae (through consumption of CO2 in the gas) aswill be described further herein.

According to one embodiment, the combustion chamber 234 operates with acombustion bed temperature within the range of approximately 1300-1800°F. The directional jets 248 and cup deflectors 250 are arranged toproduce a cyclone effect at the bed 246 of the combustion chamber 234,so that the gas is accelerated and drawn away from the bed 246 so thatthe temperature of the bed 246 is reduced. According to one exemplaryembodiment, the directional jets 248 and cup deflectors 250 are arrangedin a configuration as shown in FIG. 9. A combustion flue nozzle 254 isprovided at the top of the combustion chamber 234 and is configured tocompress and ignite the gases at a location just below the heatexchanger 238 and provide more thorough burning of the gas.

According to one embodiment, the biofuel combustion device 230 operateswith flue gas recirculation (FGR) to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx)emissions (e.g., up to about 60 percent in certain applications) byrecirculating a portion of the flue gas (e.g., about 20-25% throughrecirculation duct 258, although greater or lesser portions of the fluegas may be used) into the combustion chamber 234. This process isintended to reduce the peak combustion temperature and lower thepercentage of oxygen in the combustion air/flue gas mixture, thusretarding the formation of NOx caused by high flame temperatures(thermal NOx—produced from the oxidation of nitrogen (N2) attemperatures above about 1500° F.). NOx emissions are generallyunderstood to be a pervasive pollutant that causes or contributes to awide variety of problems, such as diseases, ozone and smog formation,acid rain, and is the basis for visibility problems because of theformation of aerosols. Recirculation of the flue gas is shown by way ofexample to be conducted by directing the flue gas through a flue gasoutlet 256 or takeoff device, and then through the particulate filter(s)260 and then to the inlet of the combustion chamber 234 via arecirculating flue gas return duct 258 that includes a variable speedflue gas recirculation fan 264 for drawing the desired flow rate of theflue gas to the inlet of the combustion chamber 234. The remaining fluegas is directed through dispersion devices (e.g., spargers, bubblers,etc.) into water contained in the algae holding tank to promote growthof algae, as will be further described.

Referring further to FIG. 8, a flue gas heat exchanger 266 may beprovided to transfer heat from the flue gas to the thermal transferfluid, so that the thermal transfer fluid is pre-heated before enteringthe main heat exchanger 238 in the biofuel heat generator 230. The fluegas heat exchanger 266 may be any suitable heat exchanger (e.g., tubecoil, etc.—with or without fins) and disposed internally or externallyto the flue gas takeoff duct 256. The control system 700 also monitorsthe flue gas for its heat and gas content, and will operate the airintake and flue gas recirculation fans to control the combustion of thebiofuel within the combustion chamber. For example, if NOx contentexceeds a predetermined amount, the control system will reduce the speedof the fan(s) to lower the temperature of the combustion bed.

According to other embodiments, the biofuel heat generator may include afurnace, which is generally considered among the simplest combustiontechnology. In a furnace, biomass fuel burns in a combustion chamber,converting biomass into heat energy. As the biomass burns, hot gases arereleased, which typically contain about 85 percent of the fuel'spotential energy. According to an alternative embodiment, the heatgeneration device and the contaminant collection device may be combinedin a single device as a biomass-fired boiler, which is generallyconsidered to be a more adaptable direct combustion technology becausethe boiler transfers the heat of combustion into steam, without the useof a thermal transfer fluid. A boiler's steam output typically contains60 to 85 percent of the potential energy in biomass fuel. The majortypes of biomass combustion boilers are pile burners, stationary ortraveling grate combustors and fluidized-bed combustors. Pile burnerstypically consist of cells, each having an upper and a lower combustionchamber, where the biomass fuel burns on a grate in the lower chamber,releasing volatile gases. The gases burn in the upper (secondary)combustion chamber. The burners may have manual or automatic ash removalsystems. In a stationary or traveling grate combustor, an automaticfeeder distributes the biomass fuel onto a grate, where the fuel burns.Combustion air enters from below the grate. In the stationary gratedesign, ashes fall into a pit for collection. In contrast, a travelinggrate system has a moving grate that drops the ash into a hopper.Fluidized-bed combustors generally burn biomass fuel in a hot bed ofgranular material, such as sand. Injection of air into the bed createsturbulence resembling a boiling liquid. The turbulence distributes andsuspends the fuel. This design increases heat transfer and is intendedto allow for operating temperatures below about 972° C. (1700° F.) toreduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Fluidized-bed combustors can alsotypically handle high-ash fuels and agricultural biomass residue.Accordingly, all such biofuel combustion devices and technologies areconsidered to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Biomass is generally considered a renewable energy source because theenergy it contains comes from the sun. Through the process ofphotosynthesis, chlorophyll in plants captures the sun's energy byconverting carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground intocarbohydrates, complex compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, andoxygen. When these carbohydrates are burned, they turn back into carbondioxide and water and release the sun's energy they contain. The mostcommon way to capture the energy from biomass is to burn it, to makeheat, steam, and electricity. There are many types of plants in theworld, and many ways they can be used for energy production. In generalthere are two approaches: growing plants specifically for energy use,and using the residues from plants that are used for other purposes(e.g., food products, etc.).

According to one embodiment, the biofuel comprises a biomass wasteproduct such as olive pits, which represent a readily available sourceof biomass waste resulting from the processing of olives in thefacility, and combustion of the olive pits advantageously generates heatto reclaim the contaminated water, while significantly reducing theamount of biomass that would otherwise be deposited in a landfill orother undesirable location. The applicants believe that olive pits (as aform of biomass waste) represent an impressive source of biofuel for usein a water reclamation system because they generate a significant amountof heat and produce very little smoke and ash. The Applicant believesthat the use of olive pits as a biofuel will result in favorable NOxemission levels, in view of applicable regulatory limits. Based uponpreliminary factors, the Applicant estimates that NOx emission rates forone embodiment of the system will be approximately 11 pounds (lbs) perhour, based upon a combustion rate of approximately 42,000 lbs of olivepits per day.

According to alternative embodiments, any other suitable form of biomasswaste may be used as a biofuel in the combustor, such as grass, almondor other nut shells, used pallets, pulp and paper mill residue, forestharvesting and lumber mill scrap, municipal waste, agricultural or cropwaste and residues such as corn stover (the stalks, leaves, and husks ofthe plant), rice straw and wheat straw, animal waste (e.g., cattle,chicken and pig manure, etc.), and urban wood waste (e.g., constructionwaste and scraps, lawn and tree trimmings, etc.), and municipal waste(e.g., trash, landfill gas, etc.). The source of the biofuel ispreferably based (at least partially) on a biomass waste productgenerated by the facility or farm for which water is being reclaimed, inorder to maximize the overall benefit provided by the system.Alternatively, the biofuel may be acquired from biomass waste producersthat would otherwise dispose of the waste in a less desirable manner(e.g., landfill storage, etc.). According to any preferred embodiment,the biofuel heat generator uses a biomass waste product to heat athermal transfer fluid to reclaim the contaminated water, and to disposeof the biomass waste, during time periods when insufficient sunlightexists for the solar heat generator to maintain a desired temperature ofthe circulating thermal transfer fluid.

Referring further to FIGS. 1 and 8, the exhaust heat from the combustionof the biofuel may be used for any of a wide variety of advantageouspurposes. For example, the heat may be used to pre-warm the heattransfer fluid contained in the solar heat generator reservoir. Byfurther way of example, the exhaust heat and gases from the biofuelcombustion device may be discharged through suitable headers and nozzles(e.g., spargers, bubblers, etc.) in an algae-growing water tank 270(e.g., pond, reservoir, photobioreactor, etc.) to promote algae growthand reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide released into theenvironment by the biofuel combustion device. In general, algae needwater, sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow. Up to 50 percent of analga's body weight is comprised of oil, and the oil they produce canthen be harvested from the tank and converted into a biodiesel fuel, andthe algae's carbohydrate content can be fermented into ethanol.

Biodiesel is often referred to as the mono alkyl esters of long chainfatty acids derived from renewable lipid sources. Others have definedbiodiesel as a material made from vegetable oils or animal fats. Allbiodiesels are generally based on triglycerides, three fatty acids boundby glycerol. If the source is animal fat, e.g., tallow or lard or whaleoil, the fatty acids are saturated, that is they contain no doublebonds. If the source is vegetable, the fatty acids are unsaturated, theycontain one or more double bonds. The process of making biodiesel fromalgae, was reported in Biodiesel from Algae, A Look Back at the U.S.Department of Energy's Aquatic Species Program, which reported that thealgae species studied in the program could produce up to 60% of theirbody weight in the form of triacylglycerols, the same natural oil madeby oilseed crops. The complete Report No. NREL/TP-580-24190, July 1998,is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. More details onbiodiesel manufacture may be taken from International Patent ApplicationPublication No. WO2006/036836 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,838; U.S. Pat. No.6,822,105; U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,015; U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,867; U.S. Pat.No. 6,642,399 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,707, all of which are incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

Growth of the algae can be accelerated by bubbling supplemental carbondioxide from the exhaust of the biofuel combustion device 230 throughthe algae tank 270, providing the added benefit of capturing a potentgreenhouse gas before it reaches the atmosphere. Given the rightconditions, algae can double its volume overnight, and unlike otherbiofuel feedstocks, such as soy or corn, it can be harvested day afterday. Harvesting, as used herein, is the act of collecting the grownalgae (e.g., algal bloom). Generally harvesting is accomplishedmechanically (e.g., raking, netting, dredging), and can be accomplishedmanually or automatically. Typically, the harvested algae is transferredto a tank or other sealable apparatus for a degradation process. Thealgae tanks may be located in a generally close proximity to the othercomponents of the system (e.g., adjacent to the contaminated waterholding reservoir and/or the evaporation pond, etc.). The algae may beharvested or collected on a predetermined frequency (e.g., daily) andprocessed to extract the oil from the algae (e.g., by pressing or thelike), for conversion to a fuel such as biodiesel.

Several methodologies are currently feasible for the production of fuelfrom algae. For example, methane may be produced therefrom viabiological or thermal gasification. The biomass may be fermented,thereby forming ethanol. It may be burned directly. It may be pressed torelease the oils therefrom and those oils may be transesterfied, inwhich the triglicerols therein are reacted with a simple alcohol, toform alkyl ester, which is commonly known as biodiesel. Additionally, itis generally known that certain green algae will, when subjected to ananaerobic environment, produce hydrogen, which may be recovered and usedas a fuel. Other methodologies for production of biodiesel fuel fromalgae are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,017, the subject matter ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.Methodologies for production of ethanol from algae are also currentlyfeasible. For example, ethanol may be produced using a fermentation andseparation process, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,308,the subject matter of which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. Accordingly, all such uses and methodologies are intended tobe within the scope of this application.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the natural gas heat generator 290 is shownaccording to one embodiment. The natural gas heat generator 290 isintended to serve as a back-up to the solar heat generator 210 and thebiofuel heat generator 230 and is maintained in a standby mode in theevent that the solar and/or biofuel heat generators are unavailable(e.g., for maintenance, etc.). Although not generally considered a“renewable” energy source, the natural gas heat generator 290 isintended to provide a relatively clean-burning source of heat for therare occasions when solar and/or biofuel heating is unavailable, and theenergy storage capability of the thermal energy storage system 218 isinsufficient to provide the amount of heat necessary to maintain thedesired temperature of the thermal transfer fluid, in order to maintainthe operational reliability of the system.

Accordingly, the heat generation region 200 of the system 10 includes avariety of environmentally-friendly heat generators that provide heat toreclaim the contaminated water from the facility 110, and also reducethe amount of biomass waste that would otherwise be disposed in a lessdesirable manner, and further helps to promote the growth of algae whichin turn may be used to produce biodiesel fuel and ethanol.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the heat generated by the heat generationregion 200 heats a thermal transfer fluid that is circulated through apiping loop 202 to (and through) the contaminant collection device 304to covert the contaminated water to steam and separate the contaminantsfrom the water. According to one embodiment, the steam exits thecontaminant collection and removal region 300 at a relatively “low”pressure of approximately 80-200 pounds per square inch (PSI), and moreparticularly, 100-170 PSI, and yet more particularly 110-150 PSI andstill more particularly 130-135 PSI, and is piped to the steam energyconversion and power generation region 400. According to the illustratedembodiment, the steam energy conversion and power generation region 400includes a steam energy conversion device 410 that converts the steamenergy to a mechanical output and an electric power generator 480 thatuses the mechanical output to generate electricity. The steam that isexhausted from the steam energy conversion device is then directed tothe free heat recovery region 500 where the steam is then used toprovide “free” heating to any of a wide variety of heat loads associatedwith the facility or farm. According to alternative embodiments, thepressure of the steam generated in the contaminant collection device maybe higher or lower, as appropriate for a particular steam energyconversion device.

According to one embodiment, the steam energy conversion device 410 is apiston-type expansion steam engine 420 (shown more particularly in FIGS.4A-4B) having a horsepower (HP) rating of approximately 300 HP, (but maybe within the range of 5 HP-5000 HP, and more particularly within therange of 100 HP-1500 HP) which receives the steam from the boiler 304for expansion in cylinders 422 to drive the pistons 424 and rotate acrankshaft 426 at a speed of approximately 300-325 revolutions perminute (RPM) to provide the mechanical output to the electric generator480. The piston-type steam engine 420 has been found to be particularlysuited for use in this application due to its inherent ability totolerate contaminants (e.g., minerals, salts, sulfates, organics andchemical wastes, etc.) that may carry over in the steam from thecontaminant collection device, and is thus more reliable that otherdevices that are less tolerant of potential contaminants in the steamsupply. Further, the components of the engine 420 that are exposed tothe contaminants in the steam supply are readily and economicallyreplaced, in the event that replacement becomes desirable. A controlvalve 428 is provided on the steam inlet to the engine 420, and may be amanual throttle valve, or may be an automatically operated valvedesigned to open/close rapidly (e.g., snap-open/snap-closed, etc.) forcontrol of the engine.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 4B, the piston-type steam engine 420is shown to include cylinder/piston assemblies 422/424, with eachassembly having associated steam transfer pipes 430 and steam chest 432with steam input port; a control valve 428 in the form of a slide valve(such as a vertical D valve) with rocker arm 434 and a connecting rod436 eccentrically coupled via a bearing 438 to a drive shaft 424; pistonshaft 440, packing gland 442, piston guide plate 444, piston shaft guide446, and connecting arm 448 coupled to a drive shaft. According to oneembodiment, the cylinders 422 are provided in the form of stockcylindrical pipe, which may have a diameter within a range ofapproximately 6-42 inches, thus advantageously avoiding the need forlarge cast cylinders. The steam transfer box 432 is used rather than aconventional steam transfer pipe, and the block may be welded or boltedto the frame of the engine. The D valve 428 is operated as a “dualaction” type slide valve by a linkage connected to a rocker arm 434 thatis pivotally coupled to a connecting rod 436 which is eccentricallycoupled to the drive shaft 424. The linkage, rocker arm andeccentrically coupled connecting rod allow the valve to “snap” intoposition, which reduces the transient time of the valve and improves theefficiency of the steam flow input/output from the cylinder. Theconnecting rod 436 includes an oversize rocker arm slot that allows theconnecting rod to move between 5-40% of its travel before the rocker arm434 becomes engaged. Thus the rocker arm 434 becomes engaged at a pointthat corresponds to mid-stroke of the connecting rod 436, resulting in arapid (e.g., “snap,” “jerk,” etc.) of the linkage and opening/closingthe D valve 428.

Referring to FIG. 4C-4F, the steam inlet and exhaust port arrangementwithin the D valve 428 is shown according to one embodiment. D valve 428includes a steam box portion 437 and a slidable D-shaped stem 435. Thesteam box includes inlet ports 431 in the form of a row of aperturesshown having a circular shape (however, apertures having other shapesmay be used according to alternative embodiments). The exhaust port 433on the steam box 437 is shown as a single port in the form of anelongated rectangle and positioned substantially parallel in the middlebetween the two rows of inlet port apertures 431. The D-shaped stem 435includes two arms 435 a, 435 b having a seal material 439 on the endthereof and configured to slide back and forth over the surface of thesteam box to cover and uncover the inlet ports and the exhaust ports inthe desired sequence to admit and exhaust steam to/from the associatedcylinder 422 as the rocker arm 434 and connecting rod 436 move the stem435 back and forth in a snap-type motion. The Applicant believes thatthe inlet port apertures provide enhanced steam inlet flowcharacteristics that provide improved performance of the piston-typesteam engine.

According to one embodiment, the piston-type steam engine 420 includes aframe 450 having a size of approximately 24 inches deep×48 inches wideby 65 inches high, and cylinders 422 having a diameter of approximately12 inches and a height of approximately 12 inches. The engine 420operates with a steam supply having a pressure of approximately 200 PSIand a temperature of approximately 400° F. and a flow rate ofapproximately 3600-4400 lb/hr, and a steam exhaust pressure within arange of approximately 10-80 PSI, to provide shaft output power ofapproximately 300 HP at 325 RPM for an electrical output ofapproximately 250 KW.

According to another embodiment, the steam energy conversion device 410may be a turbomachine such as a disk-type turbine steam engine, and moreparticularly such as a modified Tesla-type turbine 460 (shown moreparticularly in FIG. 5). Turbine 460 converts the kinetic energy of aflow of fluid (typically, wet, or “low grade” steam) from heat exchanger304 into useful shaft power by directing the steam flow generallyparallel to the faces of a series of thin rotating turbine discs 468.The fluid flow imparts momentum to the discs 468 in the direction oftheir rotation by means of a shear force acting through a viscousboundary layer attached to the surfaces of the discs 468. Such multiplediscs 468 are located concentrically on, and attached mechanically to, ashaft 470. The assembly of turbine discs 468 and shaft 470 is generallyreferred to as a turbine rotor. The rotor is mounted in low frictionbearings 466 and contains provision for coupling the output power of theshaft to an electrical generator 480, or other dynamic load. The rotorrotates on a fixed axis with a small amount of clearance inside acylindrical housing 464. A fluid flow is first formed into atwo-dimensional jet stream, whose width is much larger than itsthickness. The center line of the jet is directed to impinge on thediscs 468 in a generally tangential direction, at a location near theperiphery of the discs 468. In imparting momentum to the discs 468, thefluid flow loses kinetic energy. Because the rotor is contained in aclose fitting housing 464 which prohibits outward flow, the resultantloss of velocity causes the fluid to flow radially inward across thefaces of the discs 468 and acquire an axial component of velocity,forming a self-stable vortex. A pattern of holes 476 penetrating throughthe thickness of the discs 468 centered on a circle a short distancefrom the center of the discs 468 provides a path to accommodate theaxial flow of the fluid. Upon exiting the stack of turbine discs, theflow is directed to an exhaust port 460 and is conducted away from thehousing 464 by a circular pipe (not shown).

Referring further to FIG. 5, the turbine includes three primarycomponents, or assemblies: a nozzle-rotor housing assembly 465, therotor assembly 471, and the rotor bearing housing assembly 466. Thenozzle-rotor housing assembly 465 includes a converging-diverging,subsonic nozzle 472 penetrating through the periphery of a cylindricalhousing 464 whose inside diameter is slightly larger than the outsidediameter of the assembly of discs 468. The converging section (notshown) of the nozzle 472, upstream from the throat, is circular incross-section and is fed by (for example) a short threaded section ofpipe. The nozzle's diverging section, downstream from the throat, isrectangular in cross-section. The throat (where near sonic flow isachieved) is square in cross-section. The exit plane of the divergingnozzle has an aspect ratio of approximately 8-to-1, and has an arearatio (relative to the throat) of approximately 32-to-1. The divergencehalf-angle of the nozzle 472 is limited to approximately 12 degrees, inorder to prevent flow separation and recirculation prior to the flowdeparting the exit plane. The rectangular cross-section fluid jet isdirected onto the discs 468 through a rectangular window whichpenetrates the housing 464, and the nozzle 472 is welded to thecylindrical housing 464 at a location on the housing periphery where theangle of contact between the nozzle and the shell is about 45 degrees.One end of the housing 464 terminates in a fixed wall containing sealedball bearings 466, and the other end of the housing terminates in afixed wall with a circular exhaust port 474 located on axis.

The rotor assembly 471 includes a series of large discs 468 (e.g.,“power discs” etc.) and small discs 469 (e.g., “spacer discs” etc.)placed in an alternating sequence on a shaft 470. Both varieties ofdiscs have a central hole through their thickness, allowing a precisionslip fit onto the shaft 470. The power discs 468 have an outsidediameter chosen such that their rim speed, at nominal operationalconditions is approximately equal to the fluid flow speed emanating fromthe nozzle 472. The power discs 468 have a thickness equal toapproximately 1/64 their diameter. The power discs 468 also have apattern of circular holes 476 (“axial flow holes”) bored through thedisc 468 centered on a circle concentric with the shaft 470 axis with adiameter approximately ⅓ the size of the outside diameter of the disc468. The diameter of the axial flow holes is chosen such that thesummation of the cross sectional areas of the pattern of holes isapproximately equal to the exhaust area of the nozzle. The spacer discshave a diameter such that their outside rims are tangent to the insiderims of the axial flow holes 476 and do not occlude them, when viewedaxially. The thickness of the spacer discs 469 is chosen to be twice thethickness of the effective boundary layer of the fluid at the nominaldesign speed, viscosity, and density conditions. The number of powerdiscs 468 and spacer discs 469 is chosen such that the resultant stackof discs has a height approximately equal to its diameter. The discstack is clamped together on the power shaft into a rigid unit by theaction of 3 draw bolts 473 located in circular holes extending throughthe length of the stack and extending into hubs located on both ends ofthe stack. The draw bolt holes are located on a bolt circle with adiameter equal to approximately ⅕ the diameter of the power discs 468.Taper lock collets (not shown) are used to affix the hubs at each end ofthe stack onto the shaft 470 and transmit torque from the rotor stack tothe shaft 470. A taper lock collet (not shown) is used at the end of therotor shaft 470 to connect a drive sprocket (not shown) to the shaft470.

The rotor bearing assembly 466 includes a short cylindrical shell 475 ofapproximately the same diameter as the housing 464 with a solid membranewall attached across a diameter. The membrane wall provides a positivebarrier to fluid flow, which forces all the fluid to exit the housing464 at the exhaust 474. The membrane wall also has an on-axial hole ofsufficient diameter to allow clearance for protrusion of the shaft 470through it and bolt holes for attachment of ball bearing assemblies. Apair of ball bearings 477 are attached with threaded fasteners to eitherside of the membrane wall (only one ball bearing is shown for clarity)and one end of the shaft 470 protrudes through the bearings. The bearingassembly 466 thus provides a kinematically determinate location of therotor relative to the rotor housing and allows the rotor to spin on itsaxis with minimum frictional loss.

According to one embodiment, the discs 468 are formed of 316 stainlesssteel which is intended to resist warping and improve longevity of thediscs, however the discs may be made from other suitable materials suchas high temperature ceramics, etc. The size of the exhaust port aperture474 may be changed (modified, etc,) to correspond to a desired pressuredrop across the discs, such as within a range of approximately 25-90% ofsupply pressure. The turbine 460 is intended for operation at arelatively high RPM. For example, a 50 lb rotor with discs having adiameter of approximately 12 inches in intended to operate at a nominalspeed of approximately 15,000 RPM. The applicants also believe that theTesla-type turbine is particularly well-suited to the water reclamationapplication due to its inherent ability to handle (or accommodate)potential contaminants in the steam, and its characteristic of havingonly a single moving part. According to alternative embodiments, othersteam energy conversion devices may be used to provide a mechanicaloutput to an electric generator, such as, for example, any of a varietyof impulse type turbines.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the steam energy conversion and powergeneration region 400 is also shown to include a first (e.g.,“upstream”) moisture-vapor separator 486 at an inlet side of the steamenergy conversion device 410 to help reduce any moisture carry-over inthe steam from the contaminant collection device 304. The separator 486also advantageously helps to capture contaminants that carry-over withthe steam, and may be collected from the drain portion of the separator486. According to one embodiment, a chemical analysis of a sample of theliquid and contaminants separated from the steam by the system indicateda TDS of approximately 62,100 mg/L. A second (e.g., “downstream”)moisture-vapor separator 488 is shown on the exhaust side of the steamenergy conversion device 410 to help remove moisture from the exhaustedsteam prior to the steam being directed to the free heat recovery region500 of the system 10.

The mechanical output of the steam energy conversion device 410 is usedto rotate an electric generator 480 to generate electricity. Preferably,the amount of electricity generated is sufficient to power allelectrically-operated equipment in the system (e.g., valves, motors,actuators, control devices, etc.) so that the system is electricallyself-sustaining. According to one embodiment, the electrical output ofthe generator(s) of the system is approximately two (2) mw. Surpluselectrical energy may be used by the facility or farm to meet (or atleast partially meet) its own electricity supply needs, or may be soldto a local utility or power provider according to local laws andregulations.

Referring further to FIG. 1, after the steam exits the downstreamseparator 488 it is directed to a supply header 510 in the free heatrecovery region 500 where it provides “free” steam to heat any one of awide variety of heat loads 520 typically associated with the facility,operation or farm 110. For example, the heat loads may be arranged in aparallel configuration and include such loads as: heating a potable ordomestic water supply; and heating for a laundry operation; and heatingfor food processing operations, and heating for an ethanol distillationdevice; and heating for dairy processing equipment; and enhancedevaporation of compost. Accordingly, all such heat loads that canadvantageously be supplied with ‘free heat’ from the water reclamationprocess are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.

After providing free heat for the heat loads 520, the steam is typicallya mixture of low quality liquid and vapor and is exhausted to adischarge header 530 which directs the steam to the reclaimed waterretention and release region 600 as shown in FIG. 1 according to anexemplary embodiment. The reclaimed water retention and release region600 is shown to include a condenser 610, and an evaporation pond 620,and a filter station 630 and a release point 640. The steam receivedfrom the discharge header 530 of the free heat recovery region 500 isdirected through a condenser 610 (e.g., on a tube side of the condenser)to condense any remaining vapor to return the steam to a liquid state indistilled form and now having a contaminant concentration that meets orexceeds regulatory requirements for cleanliness (herein referred to as‘reclaimed water’). According to one embodiment, a chemical analysis ofa sample of the reclaimed water from the evaporation pond 620 andprocessed by the system 10 indicates a TDS of approximately 140 mg/L,which represents an average TDS reduction of approximately 98.7 percent(%) from the average sample of contaminated water from the facility 110.Cooling water for the condenser 610 may be provided from the storagetank 140, from the contaminated water holding reservoir 120, from theevaporation pond 620, or other suitable source.

The reclaimed water is then directed to the evaporation pond 620, whereit is retained for testing and collection of any remaining contaminants(e.g., through evaporation, screening, etc.). In a manner similar to thecontaminated water holding reservoir 120, the evaporation pond 620 isformed on a relatively level section of ground outside and adjacent tothe facility 110, and includes a berm approximately two (2) feet highand defining a perimeter that encloses an area of approximately 2,500square feet (although other sizes may be used to suit the processrequirements of a particular facility). A durable, rugged and waterproofmembrane (e.g., layer, sheet, etc.) of material is provided on theenclosed ground and over the berm to form the evaporation pond 620.According to one embodiment, the waterproof membrane is made ofpolyurethane with a thickness of approximately 60 mils and iscommercially available from B&B Supply of Fresno, Calif. The membrane ispreferably black in color to enhance solar heating of the reclaimedwater in the evaporation pond to promote evaporation of the reclaimedwater.

The reclaimed water may be permitted to return to the environment invapor form by evaporating into the atmosphere, and/or in liquid form byreturn to the facility or farm for recycled usage, or direct release tothe environment (e.g., drainage pipe, stream, tributary, etc.).According to a preferred embodiment, the reclaimed water that isreleased in liquid form is directed through a final filter station 630and a quality checkpoint sampling station 640 to ensure propercleanliness.

The system also includes a control system 700, including a controldevice 710 such as a microprocessor or programmable logic controller orthe like configured to receive, from appropriate instrumentation 720,signals that are representative of the various parameters associatedwith operation of the system 10. The instrumentation includestemperature sensing devices (e.g., thermocouples, RTDs, thermistors andthe like), pressure sensing devices (e.g., gages, transducers, etc.),flow sensing devices (e.g., differential pressure flow transducers,etc.), rotational speed sensing devices (e.g., tachometer, etc.),electric power meters (e.g., volt meters, watt meters, amp meters,etc.), and level sensors (e.g., site-glasses, differential pressure typelevel transducers, etc.). The parameters associated with operation ofthe system 10 that are monitored by the instrumentation 720 andcontrolled by the control device 710 include:

-   -   (a) water level in the contaminated water holding reservoir 120        and/or storage tank 140,    -   (b) contaminated water flow rate to the contaminant collection        and removal region 300,    -   (c) pressure and temperature of the contaminated water/steam in        the contaminant collection device 304,    -   (d) level of the contaminated water in the contaminant        collection device 304,    -   (e) temperature and flow rate of the thermal transfer fluid        circulating in the piping loop 202 between the heat generators        210/230/290 and the contaminant collection device 304,    -   (f) temperature of the thermal transfer fluid entering and        exiting the collector tube 214, and temperature of the thermal        transfer fluid in the solar reservoir 218,    -   (g) mass of biofuel remaining in the biofuel storage device 240,    -   (h) delivery rate of biofuel to the combustor,    -   (i) position of the valves of the system (i.e. open, closed,        throttled, etc.),    -   (j) temperature and pressure of the steam entering the steam        energy conversion device 410,    -   (k) rotational speed of the mechanical output of the steam        energy conversion device 410,    -   (l) temperature and pressure of the steam exiting the steam        energy conversion device 410,    -   (m) temperature and pressure of the steam exiting the heat        loads, 520    -   (n) water level in the evaporation pond 620, and    -   (o) flow rate of reclaimed water being released from the release        point 640.

According to one embodiment, the control system 700 uses either atwo-element or a three-element control strategy for controlling thelevel of contaminated water in the boiler 304 to separate and collectthe solids in the boiler 304. The difference between two-element andthree-element control depends on the number of process variablesmeasured and to effect control of the contaminated water level in theboiler 304 by providing an output signal to modulate the position of acontrol valve 132 on the supply of contaminated water to the boiler 304.These measured process variables include: liquid level in the boiler304, flow of contaminated water to the boiler 304, and flow of steamleaving the boiler 304. The control system 700 operates to maintainliquid level in the boiler 304 to ensure that the liquid level remainslow enough to provide adequate disengaging volume above the liquid, andhigh enough to assure that there is water present in every steamgenerating tube 316 in the boiler 304, which typically results in arelatively narrow range in which the liquid level in the boiler 304should be maintained for optimal performance.

The contaminated water supply used to maintain liquid level in theboiler comes from the contaminated water holding reservoir 120 and isbrought up to the operating pressure of the boiler 304 by one or morepumps 130 as shown in FIG. 1. The control system 700 includes suitableboiler control devices, such as level controller, and a flow controller(not shown).

In a two-element control (boiler liquid level to feedwater flow rate)cascade control strategy, the level controller decides whether it needsmore or less flow of the contaminated water to the boiler 304. The levelcontroller transmits its target flow as a set point to the flowcontroller. The flow controller then decides how much to open or closethe control valve as supply pressure swings to meet the set pointtarget. By placing this feedwater flow rate in a fast flow control loop,the flow controller will sense any variations in the supply conditionswhich produce a change in flow of the contaminated water supply to theboiler 304. The flow controller will adjust the position of the controlvalve to restore the flow to its set point before the boiler 304 liquidlevel is substantially affected. The level controller is the primarycontroller (sometimes referred to as the master controller) in thiscascade, adjusting the set point of the flow controller, which is thesecondary controller (sometimes identified as the slave controller).

In a three-element control strategy, the third element in the controlsystem is the flow rate of steam leaving the boiler 304, and is usefulin addressing variation in demand from the steam loads downstream of theboiler 304 (e.g., the steam energy conversion device 410, etc.). Bymeasuring the steam flow leaving the boiler 304, the magnitude of demandchanges can be used as a feed forward signal to the level controller.The feed forward signal can be added into the output of the levelcontroller to adjust the flow controller set point, or can be added intothe output of the flow controller to directly manipulate the controlvalve. The control systems may add the feed forward signal into thelevel controller output to the secondary (feedwater flow) controller setpoint to eliminate the need for characterizing the feed forward signalto match the control valve characteristic. Alternatively, the differencebetween the outlet steam flow and the inlet water flow may becalculated. The difference value is directly added to the set pointsignal to the feedwater flow controller. Therefore, if the steam flowout of the boiler 304 is suddenly increased by the start up of the steamenergy conversion device 410 (for example) the set point to thefeedwater flow controller is increased by the amount of the measuredsteam flow increase. Similarly, a sudden drop in steam demand caused bythe stopping of one of the downstream steam loads will produce amatching drop in contaminated water supply flow to the boiler 304without producing any significant disturbance to the boiler levelcontrol.

According to any exemplary embodiment using either a two-element or athree-element control strategy, the control system 700 monitors theappropriate process variables or parameters and provides the appropriateoutput signals to control the level of contaminated water in the boiler304. The control system 700 also monitors the temperature of the thermaltransfer fluid entering and exiting the boiler 304 and adjust the flowrate and/or temperature of the thermal transfer fluid to maintain thedesired temperature and boiling/evaporation rate within the boiler 304.The control system 700 may designate the solar heat generator 210 as theprimary or “lead” heat generator for heating the thermal transfer fluidfor circulation to the boiler 304, and supplement as necessary (e.g.,during cloudy conditions, nighttime, etc.) with heat provided by thebiofuel heat generator 230 (e.g., as a “secondary” heat generator) tomaintain a desired temperature at a corresponding desired flow rate ofthermal transfer fluid to the boiler 304. For example, the controlsystem 700 monitors the temperature of the thermal transfer fluid in thesolar-heated holding tank 218 and switches operation to the biofuel heatgenerator 230 when the fluid temperature decreases below a predeterminedsetpoint (e.g., 460° F. or other suitable temperature for a particularapplication), such as might occur during prolonged cloudy periods orduring early morning, late evening and nighttime periods, and switchedoperation back to the solar heat generator 210 when the temperature ofthe thermal transfer fluid in the solar heated holding tank 218increases above the predetermined setpoint (e.g., during prolonged sunnyconditions, etc.).

In the event that further heating capacity is necessary to maintain thedesired temperature of the thermal transfer fluid, the control system700 is configured to operate the natural gas-fired heater 290 as aback-up source of heat for the system 10. Accordingly, the controlsystem 700 monitors the signals representative of the temperature of thethermal transfer fluid and provides the necessary corresponding outputsignals to control operation of the appropriate heat generators,including opening/closing isolation valves to each heat generator,controlling the thermal transfer fluid pump speed, starting/stopping thebiofuel combustion device 230 and the biofuel storage 240 and feedconveyor 242, and starting/stopping the natural gas-fired heater 290.Accordingly, all such control system features are within the scope ofthis application.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-14 another system and method for waterreclamation is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. The system isshown for example as a 20 (or more) GPM solar/biomass powered watertreatment system 800 for processing waste water such as municipal wastewater. The system 800 includes a solar array field 810 comprisingapproximately 72 solar collector panels 812 encompassing approximately 2acres for providing a solar powered heat source, two (2) approximately150 HP heat exchangers 814 for receiving the heat from the solar poweredheat source (and a biomass heat source) and vaporizing the waste waterand collecting contaminants, and a 300 HP steam engine 820 which drivesgenerators 824 capable of producing approximately at least about 150kilowatts (KW) of electricity. The system 800 according to theembodiment is also intended to generate approximately 4M BTU of processheat per hour, which will supply the necessary heat requirement for azero liquid discharge (ZLD) system. An additional use for the heat maybe found, for example in a small ethanol processing system, or othersuitable application. However, other sizes, capacities and features maybe provided. All such variations are intended to be within the scope ofthis disclosure.

According to one embodiment, the system 800 is configured to process aminimum of approximately 20 GPM of water, such as irrigation drainagewater provided to the system by a supplier, such as a municipal waterdistrict. Complementary to processing the drainage water the system 800also generates electricity and process heat for use by the system andother applications. The system and method for water reclamationaccording to the illustrated embodiment includes (among others) thestages of thermal distillation, thermal energy production, powergeneration, and zero liquid discharge.

The thermal distillation circuit components according to an exemplaryembodiment are shown to include (among others), a self cleaning filter802 (approximately 75 microns or other suitable size), a feed waterstorage tank 804 (approximately 5,000 gallons or other suitable size), aboiler feed water variable flow controlled pumps 806 (shown for exampleas 1 duty pump and 1 standby pump), a stack mounted heat exchanger 808(intended to preheat the boiler feed water to a temperature ofapproximately 200° F.), boilers 814 (shown for example as 2 boilershaving a capacity of approximately 150 Hp each for vaporizing the feedwater and to collect the contaminants from the feed water), steamseparators 816 (shown for example as 1 per boiler, but any number may beused), condensing product water tank 830 (having a capacity ofapproximately 4,000 gallons), product water pumps 832 (shown for exampleas 1 duty pump and 1 standby pump), and pressure filters 834 (shown forexample as 2 filters having a capacity of approximately 20 GPM each).

According to the illustrated embodiment, a supply of contaminated waterfrom a source (e.g., farm, facility, municipal water district, etc.)passes through the self-cleaning filter device 802 having a 75 micronfilter before entering the feed water storage tank 804. From the feedwater storage tank 804, the water is pumped to the boilers 814 by thefeed water pump 806 at a pressure sufficient to compensate that of thesteam pressure produced in the boilers 814. The feed water is passedthrough the stack mounted heat exchanger 808 installed in the stack of aheat source device shown as a bio-reactor burner 840 (to be furtherdescribed herein) or in the exhaust stream of the steam engines (to befurther described herein) which pre-heats the feed water to atemperature of approximately 200° F. before entering the boilers 814.The water is heated in the boilers 814 to a temperature of approximately400° F. by heat transferred from a thermal transfer fluid heated in thebio-reactor burner 840 or the solar panel array 810 and then circulatedthrough the shell-side of the boilers 814. The boilers 814 producesaturated steam at a pressure of approximately 200 pounds per squareinch (psi). During vaporization of the feed water in the boilers 814,pressurized steam is produced in a top area of the boilers' tubes, whilecontaminants in the water are concentrated in the lower area of theboiler 814 and evaporation tubes. The contaminants accumulate as solids,which are removed from the boiler 814 in the form of a highlyconcentrated slurry. The boilers 814 are also constructed so that thetop and bottom covers can be easily removed to enable the tubes to becleaned.

Although many contaminants will typically be collected in the boilers814, certain contaminates may be carried in the steam flow from theboilers 814. The steam is passed through the steam separator 816 wherecontaminates and splash water are separated to provide ‘cleaned’ steam,while the remaining waste stream is conveyed to a concentrate flashevaporator device 860.

The cleaned steam passes through a top outlet of the steam separator 816and is conveyed to a steam engine 820. The exhaust steam from the steamengine 820 then flows to a process heat load, such as a hot plate of theconcentrated flash evaporator 860 where the residual thermal energy inthe steam is used in the flash evaporation process. From theconcentration flash evaporator 860 the steam then enters thecondensation product water tank 830 where it is stored and pumped fromthe site to an irrigation canal (or other suitable location—not shown).According to one embodiment, post filtration may be provided on theproduct water line to capture any remaining particulate contaminants.

In certain applications, the total dissolved solids within the finalproduct water will typically range below approximately 500 mg/L and restwithin a range of approximately 350 mg/L to 750 mg/L.

The thermal energy production components according to an exemplaryembodiment are shown to include (among others) solar parabolic troughcollectors 812 (shown for example as 72 arrays having a size ofapproximately 20-ft long and 16-ft wide, however, other numbers andsizes may be used), insulated heat transfer fluid tanks 818 (shown forexample as 2 tanks one for hot fluid received from the solar arrays in ahot fluid circuit to be provided for heating the boilers, and one forrelatively cold fluid returned from the boilers in a cold fluid circuitto the solar arrays), heat transfer fluid variable flow controlled pumps822 (shown for example as 2 sets each including operation and standbypumps, 1 set for the hot fluid circuit and the other set for the coldfluid circuit), a bio-reactor burner 840 (to heat the thermal transferfluid during periods where the solar energy is not available orotherwise insufficient), and a bag filter 844 to recover any ash in theexhaust stack.

Solar energy is harnessed by a solar field 810 comprising a solar arrayof 72 solar parabolic reflective troughs 812 of a suitable size such as20 long and 16 ft wide. According to one embodiment, the troughs 812 areshown aligned in rows of 18 with a central tracking and positioningdrive system for the entire row. Each row of troughs 812 are positionedon a generally north-south alignment with approximately 40 ft spacingbetween the center lines of each row. The central tracking andpositioning drive system tracks the sun from morning to night. At theend of each day when the tracking system ‘loses’ the sun it will returnthe alignment of the troughs 812 back to a preset morning position readyfor the next day. In certain applications, the solar array is intendedto produce approximately 4.8 MMBTU/hr during sunny periods orapproximately 8.9 billion BTU/year. The method of transferring the heatfrom the solar system is through circulation of the thermal transferfluid which comprises a non toxic paraffin based fluid with a ratedtemperature of approximately 600° F. The solar array panels 812 arebuilt to design standards intended to withstand approximately 100 (ormore) MPH winds and are resistant to hail and dust.

The bio-reactor burner 840 is designed to cleanly gasify and combust abiomass material, particularly an agricultural waste material. Thebio-reactor burner 840 is intended to operate at a temperature ofapproximately 1500° F. in order to minimize (or eliminate) thermal NOxemissions. The bio-reactor burner 840 is designed to be fully automatedand is equipped with safety features such as a high temperature cut-off,exterior heat sensors, and a high oil temperature warning (amongothers). The bio-reactor burner 840 is designed to be self cleaning andrequire very little maintenance. According to one embodiment, a fire boxportion 842 of the bio-reactor burner 840 is constructed of hightemperature fire brick and high temperature ceramic board. Thebio-reactor burner 840 also employs a flue gas recirculation system tofurther reduce NOx and other contaminants. According to one embodiment,the bio-reactor burner 840 also has a capacity to deliver approximately16 MMBTU/hr to a vertically integrated heat exchanger 846 disposed abovethe firebox for heating the thermal transfer fluid. The bio-reactorburner also includes features such as a fire box nozzle and directionaljets in the fire box (as previously described). According to oneembodiment, the bio-reactor burner 840 will consume approximately 2000lb/hr of biomass material. The bio-reactor burner 840 also includes ahopper 848 that is capable of holding up to approximately 20 tons ofbiomass material, (corresponding to approximately 2.5 days worth of fuelfor certain applications). The biomass material may include any of awide variety of materials, as previously described.

The power generation components according to an exemplary embodiment areshown to include (among others), a steam engine 820 (having a rating byway of example of approximately 300HP, however, other ratings ormultiple steam engines may be provided), and an AC electric generator824 (such as a three-phase AC generator having a rating of approximately150 kw).

Power generation will be accomplished by directing the pressurized steam(e.g., at a pressure of approximately 200 psig, or other suitablepressure) from the boilers 814 to the steam engine 820. According to oneembodiment, the steam engine 820 utilizes approximately 10,000 lb/hr ofsteam at approximately 400° F. in normal operation and is preferablyself lubricating. According to one embodiment, the steam engine is apiston-type engine (as previously described) with two 12 inch diameterpistons have a stroke of approximately 10 inches and operates at arotational speed of approximately 300 RPM. According to an alternativeembodiment, the steam engine may be a Tesla-type turbine (as previouslydescribed). According to one embodiment, the output of the steam engine820 is conveyed by a 2 inch driveshaft connected to a transmissiondevice 826, such as a Cleveland gear (having a gear ratio ofapproximately 12:1) that powers the AC generator 824.

The zero liquid discharge portion of the system is designed to lower theremaining moisture (to below 50%) in the concentrate that is dischargedfrom the steam separator 816 and the blow down of the boilers 814. TheZLD system is shown by way of example to include a concentrated flashevaporation device 860 having substantially flat plate drying pans 862that utilize the heat (for example at a temperature of approximately300° F.) provided from the exhaust of the steam engines 820. The dryingpans 862 are intended to be self cleaning and are configured to depositthe solids into a bin 864. The drying pans 862 may also be used for theseparation of the different species of minerals that are in the water.It is expected that the ZLD system will produce approximately one ton ofsolids per day in certain applications.

According to the illustrated embodiment of the system and method forwater reclamation shown in FIGS. 12-14, the system 800 will generallyoccupy an area of approximately 20 feet×40 feet for the boilers and thesteam engines, and the bio-reactor burner and thermal transfer fluidtanks will generally occupy an area of approximately 20 feet×25 feet.Suitable connections for use in connecting the components of the systemare generally shown to include a 2 inch internal diameter water line 803from the feed water storage tank 804 to the boiler 814, a 2 inch line833 from the condensing product water tank 830 to the product waterdestination (e.g., irrigation canal, etc.), and one 200 amp panel forthe pumps and fans of the system. If the electricity from the generators824 is to be net metered, a connection is provided to an electricalpanel.

The “treated” water will be recovered by a condenser, and then directedto the condenser product water tank 830 and ultimately to the irrigationchannel (or other suitable location).

According to one embodiment, the estimated recovery of solids producedby the system (composition including moisture content and recommendeddisposal) will be approximately 2000 lbs per day with a moisture contentof 50% or less. The solids may be separated into different species areintended to be suitable for disposal in a Class 1 land fill site.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method 900 of reclaiming water from a processfacility or farm (or other suitable source) is shown according to oneembodiment to include the following steps (among other possible steps):

-   -   (a) 902—constructing a contaminated water holding reservoir to        receive contaminated water from a facility, operation, farm or        other suitable source,    -   (b) 904—delivering the contaminated water to a contaminant        collection and removal station having a filter station and a        contaminant collection device,    -   (c) 906—filtering the contaminated water in the filter station        and heating the contaminated water in the contaminant collection        device to convert the contaminated water to steam and separate        the contaminants from the contaminated water,    -   (d) 908—heating a thermal transfer fluid in at least one of a        solar heat generator and a biofuel heat generator and        circulating the heated thermal transfer fluid to the contaminant        collection device to convert the contaminated water to steam,    -   (e) 910—removing the separated contaminants from the contaminant        collection device,    -   (f) 912—directing the steam from the contaminant collection        device to a steam energy conversion device to provide a        controlled mechanical output,    -   (g) 914—generating electricity using the mechanical output,    -   (h) 916—directing the steam from the steam energy conversion        device to one or more heat loads associated with the facility,        operation or farm, and    -   (i) 918—condensing the steam and directing the distilled        condensate, as reclaimed water, to an evaporation pond for        release into the environment or reuse by the facility, operation        or farm.    -   (j) 920—directing exhaust gases from the biofuel heat generator        to an algae-growing tank for bubbling carbon dioxide through the        water to promote algae growth; and harvesting the algae from the        tank; and pressing the algae to extract oil; and converting the        algae oil to biodiesel fuel and ethanol, and    -   (k) 922—precipitating and extracting certain chemicals such as        calcium sulfate and sodium sulfate (or other desirable        chemicals) from the water of the evaporation pond.

However, any one or more of a variety of other steps may be included, inany particular order to accomplish the method of reclaiming water from aprocess facility or farm (or other source) and reducing biomass wastedisposal requirements and generating electrical power and supplying oneor more heat loads associated with the facility or farm.

Referring now to FIG. 15 another system 1010 and method for waterreclamation is shown according to an exemplary embodiment for use withwine-making facilities (shown by way of example as winery 1020). Thewaste water 1022 from the winery 1020 typically includes relatively highconcentrations of organics and is first directed into an anaerobicdigester 1024 where the organics are decomposed and syngas 1026 isproduced. The syngas 1026 is directed to a heat generation device (e.g.,syngas heat generation 1030) where it is burned to produce heat. Theheat from the syngas heat generation device is used to heat a thermaltransfer fluid which is circulated through a storage device or reservoir1044. System 1010 may also include other heat generation devicesoperating in a “parallel” manner or the like with the syngas heatgenerator such as a solar thermal heat generator, biomass heat generator(e.g., in this embodiment using biomass 1028 from the wine process suchas grape seeds, grape crush waste and waste vines, etc.), and a naturalgas heat generator—as shown and described in previous embodiments ofthis disclosure.

After the anaerobic digester process is complete the digested wastewater 1034 (now minus the organic material) is directed to a heatrecovery device (shown as a heat exchanger 1036) where the “waste” heatfrom the exhaust of the syngas heat generator 1030 and exhaust steamheat from “free-heat recovery loads” (such as described with referenceto FIG. 1 in this disclosure) are used to pre-heat the digested wastewater 1034 before being directed to a contaminant collection device(shown for example as a heat exchanger or boiler 1040). The heatexchanger 1040 receives a thermal transfer fluid from a heated thermaltransfer fluid storage device 1044, where the thermal transfer fluid hasbeen heated by the syngas heat exchanger (or other heat generator) in amanner as described with reference to FIG. 1 and previously disclosedembodiments to generate steam and separate the contaminants from thesteam of the digested waste water 1034.

The steam from the heat exchanger 1040 is directed to a moisture vaporseparator 1046, where any carryover contaminants are directed to anevaporation or drying device 1054 (as previously described withreference to other embodiments disclosed herein). The steam is thendirected to a steam energy conversion device 1050 (such as a steamengine or turbine of a type previously disclosed herein) to generateelectricity. The exhaust steam from the steam energy conversion deviceis then directed to other heat loads in the system, such as heatexchanger 1036 to preheat the digested waste water, to heat or cool thedigesters 1024, to provide heating for the evaporation or drying device1054, to preheat the thermal transfer fluid, or other “free heat” loads1060 in the wine-making process or as comfort heating/cooling, or fordrying the grape crush at the winery, etc.

The evaporation or drying device 1054 is configured to receive thecontaminants collected in the heat exchanger 1040 (e.g., through ablow-down, or manual removal operation or the like), and to receivecontaminants collected by the moisture-vapor separator from thecarryover steam. Drying device 1054 may also receive steam from thesteam conversion device exhaust as a source of heat for drying thecontaminants. Once the contaminants have been dried and any desiredchemical compounds separated therefrom, the remaining concentratedcontaminants may be disposed in a suitable manner (e.g., landfillstorage, etc.).

After the steam is discharged from the free heat loads 1060 and/or theevaporation or drying device 1054, the steam is then condensed in asuitable condenser (or evaporation pond or the like) and discharged asclean water from a discharge point 1064 (e.g., through further filtersand/or testing or sampling stations as described with reference topreviously disclosed embodiments).

Referring now to FIG. 16 another system 1110 and method for waterreclamation is shown according to an exemplary embodiment for use withdairy farm operations (shown by way of example as a dairy 1120). Thewaste water 1122 from the dairy 1120 typically includes relatively highconcentrations of organics and is first directed into an anaerobicdigester 1124 where the organics are decomposed and syngas 1126 isproduced. The syngas 1126 is directed to a heat generation device (e.g.,syngas heat generation device 1130) where it is burned to produce heat.The heat from the syngas heat generation device is used to heat athermal transfer fluid which is circulated through a storage device orreservoir 1144. System 1110 may also include other heat generationdevices operating in a “parallel” manner or the like with the syngasheat generator such as a solar thermal heat generator, biomass heatgenerator (e.g., in this embodiment using biomass 1128 from the dairyfarm operation such as cow manure, solids from the anaerobic digester,other agricultural waste, etc.), natural gas heat generator—as shown anddescribed in previous embodiments of this disclosure. Exhaust from thesyngas heat generation device 1130 may be returned to the digester 1124to help promote algae growth and to help sequester carbon dioxide.

After the anaerobic digester process is complete the digested wastewater 1134 (now minus the organic material) is directed to a heatrecovery device (shown as a heat exchanger 1136) where the “waste” heatfrom the exhaust of the syngas heat generator 1130 and exhaust steamheat from “free-heat recovery loads” (such as described with referenceto FIG. 1 in this disclosure) are used to pre-heat the digested wastewater 1134 before being directed to a contaminant collection device(shown for example as a heat exchanger or boiler 1140). The heatexchanger 1140 receives a thermal transfer fluid from a heated thermaltransfer fluid storage device 1144, where the thermal transfer fluid hasbeen heated by the syngas heat generator (or other heat generator) in amanner as described with reference to FIG. 1 and previously disclosedembodiments to generate steam and separate the contaminants from thesteam of the digested waste water 1134.

The steam from the heat exchanger 1140 is directed to a moisture vaporseparator 1146, where any carryover contaminants are directed to anevaporation or drying device 1154 (as previously described withreference to other embodiments disclosed herein). The steam is thendirected to a steam energy conversion device 1150 (such as a steamengine or turbine of a type previously disclosed herein) to generateelectricity. The exhaust steam from the steam energy conversion device1150 is then directed to other heat loads in the system, such as a heatexchanger 1136 to preheat the digested waste water 1134, to heat or coolthe digesters 1124, to provide heating for the evaporation or dryingdevice 1154, to preheat the thermal transfer fluid, or other “free heat”loads 1160 in the dairy process (e.g., heating/cooling milk, etc.) or ascomfort heating/cooling, or for cleaning stalls of the dairy cows, etc.

The evaporation or drying device 1154 is configured to receive thecontaminants collected in the heat exchanger 1140 (e.g., through ablow-down, or manual removal operation or the like), and to receivecontaminants collected by one or both of the moisture-vapor separators1146 from the carryover steam. Drying device 1154 may also receive steamfrom the steam conversion device 1150 exhaust as a source of heat fordrying the contaminants. Once the contaminants have been dried and anydesired chemical compounds separated therefrom, the remainingconcentrated contaminants may be disposed in a suitable manner (e.g.,landfill storage, etc.).

After the steam is discharged from the free heat loads 1160 and/or theevaporation or drying device 1154, the steam is then condensed in asuitable condenser (or evaporation pond or the like) and discharged asclean water from a discharge point 1164 (e.g., through further filtersand/or testing or sampling stations as described with reference topreviously disclosed embodiments).

Referring now to FIG. 17 another system 1210 and method for waterreclamation is shown according to an exemplary embodiment for use withoil field and/or drilling operations (shown by way of example as an oilfield 1220). The waste water 1222 from the oil field 1220 typicallyincludes relatively high concentrations of salts and hydrocarbons and ispreheated in a series of heat exchangers 1236 (shown for example asthree heat exchangers, but any suitable number of heat exchangers may beused for a particular application) that form a distillation column wherethe light hydrocarbons are driven off from the waste water at lowertemperatures. As the temperature rises, the distillation column willdrive off heavier hydrocarbon materials. The separated hydrocarbons arecaptured in a storage device 1238.

The captured hydrocarbons from storage device 1238 are directed to aheat generation device (e.g., hydrocarbon heat generation device 1230)where they are burned to produce heat. The heat from the hydrocarbonheat generation device is used to heat a thermal transfer fluid which iscirculated through a storage device or reservoir 1244. System 1210 mayalso include other heat generation devices operating in a “parallel”manner or the like with the hydrocarbon heat generator such as a solarthermal heat generator, biomass heat generator (e.g., in this embodimentusing biomass or other combustible wastes from the oil field operation,etc.), natural gas heat generator (or a gas heat generator that uses oilfield-generated gas)—as shown and described in previous embodiments ofthis disclosure. Exhaust from the hydrocarbon heat generation device1230 may be returned to the heat exchangers 1236 of the distillationcolumn for use as a heat source in preheating the waste water anddriving off the hydrocarbon contaminants.

The pre-heated waste water 1234 (with most of the hydrocarbons removed)is directed to a contaminant collection device (shown for example as aheat exchanger or boiler 1240). The heat exchanger 1240 receives athermal transfer fluid from a heated thermal transfer fluid storagedevice 1244, where the thermal transfer fluid has been heated by thehydrocarbon heat generator (or other heat generator) in a manner asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1 and previously disclosed embodimentsto generate steam and separate the contaminants from the steam of thewaste water 1234.

The steam from the heat exchanger 1240 is directed to a moisture vaporseparator 1246, where any carryover contaminants are directed to anevaporation or drying device 1254 (as previously described withreference to other embodiments disclosed herein). The steam is thendirected to a steam energy conversion device 1250 (such as a steamengine or turbine of a type previously disclosed herein) to generateelectricity. The exhaust steam from the steam energy conversion device1250 is then directed to other heat loads in the system, such as heatexchangers 1236 to drive off the hydrocarbons from the waste water 1234in the distillation column, to provide heating for the evaporation ordrying device 1254, to preheat the thermal transfer fluid, or other“free heat” loads 1260 in the oil field operation (e.g., oil recoveryprocesses involving injecting steam into wells, etc.). The steamdischarged from the contaminant collection device may still includecertain amounts of hydrocarbons, in which case a further distillationcolumn(s) may be used to remove any remaining hydrocarbons.

The evaporation or drying device 1254 is configured to receive thecontaminants collected in the heat exchanger 1240 (e.g., through ablow-down, or manual removal operation or the like), and to receivecontaminants collected by the moisture-vapor separator(s) 1246 from thecarryover steam. The drying device 1254 may also receive steam from thesteam conversion device 1250 exhaust as a source of heat for drying thecontaminants. Once the contaminants have been dried and any desiredchemical compounds separated therefrom, the remaining concentratedcontaminants may be disposed in a suitable manner (e.g., landfillstorage, etc.).

After the steam is discharged from the free heat loads 1260 and/or theevaporation or drying device 1254, the steam is then condensed in asuitable condenser (or evaporation pond or the like) and discharged asclean water from a discharge point 1264 (e.g., through further filtersand/or testing or sampling stations as described with reference topreviously disclosed embodiments).

According to any exemplary embodiment, certain portions of the systemfor any desirable facility, operation or farm may be “packaged” in atransportable manner for use in any of a wide variety of locations orprocess facility or operation sites (or the like) where waterreclamation is desirable or mandatory. For example, the sites mayinclude locations of spills or other accidents where clean-up includingwater reclamation is required. The sites may also include farms,wineries, diaries or other agricultural areas, or oil-drillingoperations where tailwaters require reclamation. According to oneembodiment, the biofuel heat generator and the natural gas generator andthe contaminant collection device and the filter station and the steamenergy conversion device and electric generator and moisture-vaporseparators may be mounted on a skid, or within a trailer that is readilytransportable for rapid deployment to any of a wide variety of sites.The trailer would include all necessary interfaces and connections, suchas a natural gas connection, electric service connection(s) for electricpower generated, and connections to receive the contaminated water andto discharge exhaust steam to suitable condensing equipment (e.g.,evaporation pond constructed on site, etc.). Accordingly, all suchvariations are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the water reclamation systemmay be configured to remove salt as a contaminant from the water, in themanner previously described, wherein the contaminant collection deviceacts as a brine boiler to produce usable steam for the steam energyconversion device and the heat loads, and provides a concentrated brinestream. The supply of salt-contaminated water may come directly from afacility, operation or farm, or may be a supply of brine from a reverseosmosis system.

The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the invention havebeen presented for purposes of illustration and of description. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseform disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of theinvention. The functionality described may be distributed among modulesthat differ in number and distribution of functionality from thosedescribed herein. Additionally, the order of execution of the functionsmay be changed depending on the embodiment. The embodiments were chosenand described in order to explain the principles of the invention and aspractical applications of the invention to enable one skilled in the artto utilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as suited to the particular use contemplated. It isintended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claimsappended hereto and their equivalents.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers used in the specification andclaims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by theterm “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, thenumerical parameters set forth in the following specification andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending at least uponthe specific analytical technique, the applicable embodiment, or othervariation according to the particular configuration of the system.

The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied orre-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Anymeans-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures describedherein as performing the recited function and not only structuralequivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions,modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design,operating configuration and arrangement of the preferred and otherexemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of theinventions as expressed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for reclaiming contaminated water,comprising: a heat exchanger configured to receive the contaminatedwater; a drying device; a thermal fluid flow network configured tocirculate a thermal transfer fluid, and at least one of a solarconcentrator and a biofuel combustor, each operable to heat the thermaltransfer fluid; a steam engine and a generator; at least onemoisture-vapor separator disposed between the heat exchanger and thesteam engine and configured to remove contaminants and contaminatedwater from a supply of steam directed from the heat exchanger; at leastone second boiler configured to receive the contaminants andcontaminated water from the moisture-vapor separator for concentratingthe contaminants, wherein the drying device is configured to receive theconcentrated contaminants from the second boiler; wherein the heatexchanger is configured to receive the heated thermal transfer fluid toboil the contaminated water so that at least a portion of contaminantsin the contaminated water are retained in the heat exchanger, and asupply of steam is directed from the heat exchanger sequentially throughthe moisture-vapor separator and to the steam engine for driving thegenerator; and wherein the drying device is configured to receive thecontaminants collected in the heat exchanger and to separate water fromthe contaminants.
 2. The system of claim 1 comprising both the solarconcentrator and the biofuel combustor, wherein the solar concentratoris configured to heat the thermal transfer fluid during daylight and thebiofuel combustor is configured to heat the thermal transfer fluidduring nighttime.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the solarconcentrator includes a collector comprising a substantially rectangularconduit for heating the thermal transfer fluid flowing therethrough. 4.The system of claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger comprises a shell andtube heat exchanger configured to collect contaminants within the heatexchanger.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the contaminants arecollected at least partially within the tubes of the heat exchanger. 6.The system of claim 1 wherein the steam engine comprises at least one ofa piston steam engine and a Tesla turbine.
 7. The system of claim 1wherein the drying device comprises at least one evaporator configuredto receive the contaminants and contaminated water from themoisture-vapor separator for concentrating the contaminants.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7 wherein the evaporator is operable to removesubstantially all liquid from the contaminants.
 9. The system of claim 1wherein the drying device comprises at least one drying pan configuredto receive contaminants and contaminated water from the heat exchangeror the moisture-vapor separator and separate one or more minerals fromthe contaminated water.
 10. The system of claim 1 further comprising agranular thermal energy storage medium configured to receive heat fromthe thermal transfer fluid in a first mode and to transfer heat to thethermal transfer fluid in a second mode.
 11. The system of claim 1wherein at least one of the steam engine and the generator directsexhaust steam to one or more supplemental heat loads.
 12. The system ofclaim 11 wherein at least one of the supplemental heat loads isconfigured to produce ethanol.
 13. The system of claim 11 furthercomprising a condenser configured to receive steam from the supplementalheat loads and condense the steam to a condensate.
 14. The system ofclaim 13 further comprising an evaporation pond configured to receivethe condensate from the condenser.
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein arepresentative quality of the condensate is measured prior to dischargefrom the evaporation pond.
 16. The system of claim 1 further comprisinga filtration station configured to remove at least a portion ofparticulate contaminants in the contaminated water.
 17. The system ofclaim 1 further comprising an algae tank configured to receive exhaustgases from the biofuel combustor.
 18. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising a microprocessor and one or more instruments operable toregulate a flow rate of the thermal transfer fluid through the heatexchanger and a flow rate of the contaminated water through the heatexchanger.
 19. The system of claim 1 wherein the biomass combustorfurther comprises a biomass storage and feed device.
 20. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the generator is operable to power substantially allelectrical loads of the system during operation of the system.
 21. Asystem for reclaiming contaminated water, comprising: a heat exchangerconfigured to receive the contaminated water; a thermal fluid flownetwork configured to circulate a thermal transfer fluid, and at leastone of a solar concentrator and a biofuel combustor, each operable toheat the thermal transfer fluid; a steam engine and a generator; atleast one moisture-vapor separator disposed between the heat exchangerand the steam engine and configured to remove contaminants andcontaminated water from a supply of steam directed from the heatexchanger; at least one evaporator configured to receive thecontaminants and contaminated water from the moisture-vapor separatorfor concentrating the contaminants; wherein the heat exchanger isconfigured to receive the heated thermal transfer fluid to boil thecontaminated water so that at least a portion of contaminants in thecontaminated water are retained in the heat exchanger, and the supply ofsteam is directed from the heat exchanger sequentially through themoisture-vapor separator and to the steam engine for driving thegenerator.
 22. The system of claim 21 comprising both the solarconcentrator and the biofuel combustor, wherein the solar concentratoris configured to heat the thermal transfer fluid during daylight and thebiofuel combustor is configured to heat the thermal transfer fluidduring nighttime.
 23. The system of claim 22 wherein the solarconcentrator includes a collector comprising a substantially rectangularconduit for heating the thermal transfer fluid flowing therethrough. 24.The system of claim 21 wherein the heat exchanger comprises a shell andtube heat exchanger configured to collect contaminants within the heatexchanger.
 25. The system of claim 24 wherein the contaminants arecollected at least partially within the tubes of the heat exchanger. 26.The system of claim 21 further comprising at least one second boilerconfigured to receive the contaminants and contaminated water from theheat exchanger for concentrating the contaminants.
 27. The system ofclaim 21 further comprising a granular thermal energy storage mediumconfigured to receive heat from the thermal transfer fluid in a firstmode and to transfer heat to the thermal transfer fluid in a secondmode.
 28. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of the steamengine and the generator directs exhaust steam to one or moresupplemental heat loads.
 29. The system of claim 21 further comprisingan algae tank configured to receive exhaust gases from the biofuelcombustor.
 30. The system of claim 21 further comprising amicroprocessor and one or more instruments operable to regulate a flowrate of the thermal transfer fluid through the heat exchanger and a flowrate of the contaminated water through the heat exchanger.
 31. Thesystem of claim 21 wherein the biomass combustor further comprises abiomass storage and feed device.
 32. The system of claim 21, wherein theevaporator is operable to remove substantially all liquid from thecontaminants.
 33. A system for reclaiming contaminated water,comprising: a heat exchanger configured to receive the contaminatedwater; a drying pan configured to receive contaminants and contaminatedwater from the heat exchanger and to separate one or more minerals fromthe contaminated water; a thermal fluid flow network configured tocirculate a thermal transfer fluid, and at least one of a solarconcentrator and a biofuel combustor, each operable to heat the thermaltransfer fluid; a steam engine and a generator; wherein the heatexchanger is configured to receive the heated thermal transfer fluid toboil the contaminated water so that at least a portion of contaminantsin the contaminated water are retained in the heat exchanger, and asupply of steam is directed from the heat exchanger to the steam enginefor driving the generator; and wherein the drying pan is configured toreceive the contaminants collected in the heat exchanger.
 34. The systemof claim 33 comprising both the solar concentrator and the biofuelcombustor, wherein the solar concentrator is configured to heat thethermal transfer fluid during daylight and the biofuel combustor isconfigured to heat the thermal transfer fluid during nighttime.
 35. Thesystem of claim 34 wherein the solar concentrator includes a collectorcomprising a substantially rectangular conduit for heating the thermaltransfer fluid flowing therethrough.
 36. The system of claim 33 whereinthe heat exchanger comprises a shell and tube heat exchanger configuredto collect contaminants within the heat exchanger.
 37. The system ofclaim 33 wherein the contaminants are collected at least partiallywithin the tubes of the heat exchanger.
 38. The system of claim 33further comprising at least one second boiler configured to receive thecontaminants and contaminated water from the heat exchanger forconcentrating the contaminants.
 39. The system of claim 33 furthercomprising a granular thermal energy storage medium configured toreceive heat from the thermal transfer fluid in a first mode and totransfer heat to the thermal transfer fluid in a second mode.
 40. Thesystem of claim 33 wherein at least one of the steam engine and thegenerator directs exhaust steam to one or more supplemental heat loads.41. The system of claim 33 further comprising an algae tank configuredto receive exhaust gases from the biofuel combustor.
 42. The system ofclaim 33 further comprising a microprocessor and one or more instrumentsoperable to regulate a flow rate of the thermal transfer fluid throughthe heat exchanger and a flow rate of the contaminated water through theheat exchanger.
 43. The system of claim 33 wherein the biomass combustorfurther comprises a biomass storage and feed device.
 44. The system ofclaim 33 further comprising at least one moisture-vapor separatordisposed between the heat exchanger and the steam engine and configuredto remove contaminants and contaminated water from the supply of steamdirected from the heat exchanger, wherein the supply of steam isdirected sequentially through the moisture-vapor separator and to theheat exchanger.